Relationships
What is the source of all energy in ecosystems?
The Sun
What is agar?
A nutrient rich, gelatinous substance which is used to grown bacteria and fungi.
List 3 human activities that negatively impact ecosystems.
Deforestation, over fishing, plastic pollution, introducing invasive species, urbanisation
Identify 2 natural disasters which occur in Australia
Drought, bush fires, floods, cyclones
List 3 types of agriculture.
Grain farms, fruit orchards, vegetable farms, animal husbandry, dairy farms, bee keeping, fishing,etc.
Describe a second-order consumer and give an example.
A second-order consumer eats first-order consumers and is also known as a carnivore. It needs to eat food in order to have energy.
List 3 of the five types of microbes
bacteria, fungi, virus, protozoa and algae
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of life within a particular area or ecosystem.
Describe the short-term impacts of bush fires.
Bush fires causes the destruction of trees and leaf litter which removes the habitats of a wide range of organisms. Fast moving bush fires kill animals which are unable to flee in time.
Identify 3 traditional farming methods.
Using pesticides, crop rotation, irrigation, over cropping, etc.
Provide an example of a food chain using at least three Australian organisms.
plant litter --> worm --> magpie --> eagle
Describe 2 ways that microbes can be harmful.
There is a huge range of viruses that make us sick and have no cure.
Bacteria causes infections.
Fungi can destroy crops.
How do animals and plants help each other?
Plants give oxygen and animals give carbon dioxide.
Describe the long term impacts of flooding.
Flooding causes the relocation of soil and nutrients which creates fertile soil for the same and new species of plants to flourish.
Identify 4 ways that technology is used in farming.
drones, robots, vertical farming, processing and packing, selective breeding, cloning
What is the difference between producers and decomposers?
A producer makes its own food through chemical processes, where as decomposers break down other organisms and absorb nutrients from the decomposing matter.
Describe 3 ways that microbes can be beneficial.
Yeast is used widely in the fermentation of many foods (eg. kimchi).
Bacteria help digest and absorb nutrients in our intestine and keep our gut healthy.
Bacteria could be used to reduce the negative impact of humans on the environment (eg. eating plastic).
How is fire-stick farming used to care for ecosystems?
Fire-stick farming is used to create small controllable fires which consume dried leaf matter and promote regrowth. Regular fires reduce the chance of large and uncontrollable bush fire which cause significant damage.
Identify technology used manage the impact of natural disaster.
Meteorological equipment that monitors weather systems and can predict when cyclones, heavy rain and electrical storms are likely to occur.
Seismic equipment which monitors the movement in the earth's crust to warn people when earthquakes are approaching
Describe a way that robots are used in agriculture.
Robots are used for harvesting fruits and vegetable. The robot senses the ripe fruit, removes it from the bush/tree/soil then places it into a container for further processing.
What is an heterotroph?
An organism that eats other plants or animals to gain energy. For example: cow, lion or worm
Should antibiotics be used? Why?
Antibiotics kill bacteria, but not viruses. Most antibiotics kill all the bacteria in our bodies not just those causing an infection or illness. Bacteria are becoming more antibiotic resistant, so antibiotics should be used in moderation and only to treat bacterial infection. When possible specific antibiotics should be used over broad spectrum antibiotics.
Describe a conservation effort which is being adopted in Australia.
Reducing cane toad population, tasmanian devil project, banning plastic bags in supermarkets, return and earn, collecting plastic from the ocean
Explain why conserving biodiversity is important.
Ecosystems contain an intricate web of relationships between the wide range of organisms within them. If the range of organisms is decreased then the health of the ecosystem declines impacting all the organisms even further (including humans). A high biodiversity needs to maintained because the survival of many species and the health of our ecosystems is dependent on it.
Describe an agriculture based conservation project.
Vertical farming is designed to reduce water use, reduce transport cost, recycle plastic and provide a consistent source of healthy vegetable.
Breeding species of grains that require less water to grow.