Ecology & Biodiversity
What is the biosphere?
The region on Earth in which all living things are found.
What is natural selection?
The process that causes populations to change over time because individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.
Animals with backbones, such as birds and mammals, belong to this group.
Vertebrates
What is a food chain?
A simple diagram showing how energy flows from one organism to another in a single direction.
Ocean zone where most photosynthesis occurs.
Sunlit zone.
What are abiotic factors? Give 2 examples.
Non-living factors in an ecosystem, such as temperature and sunlight, are called this.
What is speciation?
The formation of new species due to isolation.
Suggest a structural adaptation of a camel that helps it survive in hot environments
A hump for fat storage, wide feet, or thick eyelashes
Organisms at the bottom of a food chain, such as plants and phytoplankton, are called.
Autotrophs (producers).
A type of marine producer found floating in the water column and responsible for much of Earth’s oxygen production.
phytoplankton
What is genetic diversity?
The variety of genes within a species and between different species.
Sharks and dolphins have similar streamlined bodies, even though they are not closely related. This is an example of:
Convergent evolution.
What is the xylem?
The plant structure responsible for transporting water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves.
In an energy pyramid, approximately what percentage of energy is passed on to the next trophic level?
10%
What does the IUCN conservation catergory critically endangered mean?
Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future
What is a trophic cascade?
When the removal of an organism causes major changes throughout the ecosystem.
What is divergent evolution?
Different species evolve from a common ancestor due to different selective pressures.
Name one example each of a structural, behavioural, and physiological adaptation.
Sample answer
Structural: thick fur, claws, thorns
Behavioural: migration, nocturnal activity
Physiological: venom production, sweating
What is a keystone species?
A species that has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem/keeps the ecosystem in balance.
Name one major environmental issue affecting marine ecosystem
ossible answers: plastic pollution, overfishing, coral bleaching, ocean acidification, habitat destruction.
Name two different types of ecosystem services and briefly describe each.
- Provisioning (food, water, materials)
– Supporting (nutrient cycles, soil formation)
– Regulating (climate regulation, water filtration)
– Cultural (recreation, spiritual value)
Why is genetic diveristy important?
It makes a population more resilient to change, and more likely to evolve.
Explain the difference between reptiles and amphibians in terms of skin type and reproduction.
- Reptiles: dry scaly skin, lay hard eggs, internal ferilisation.
– Amphibians: moist skin, lay eggs in water, external fertilisation.
Explain why food webs are more accurate representations of ecosystems than food chains.
Because organisms have multiple feeding relationships, and energy flows in many interconnected pathways, not a single linear path.
Explain one solution to a marine environmental issue and why it is effective.
-Marine protected areas → Restore populations by reducing pressures.
– Reducing CO₂ emissions → Slows ocean acidification + warming.
– Sustainable fishing regulations → Prevents overfishing and allows stock recovery.
– Runoff management → Reduces nutrient pollution and algal blooms