Ecology

1 Ecosystems Define ecosystem, population, community and habitat, and explain how organisms depend on each other. Spec 4.7.1 2 Abiotic and Biotic Factors Describe the abiotic and biotic factors that affect the distribution and abundance of organisms. Spec 4.7.1 3 Adaptations Describe structural, behavioural and functional adaptations and explain how they help survival. Spec 4.7.2 4 Food Chains and Food Webs Describe food chains and webs, trophic levels and energy transfer between them. Spec 4.7.1 5 Population and Competition Explain what limits population size and how competition shapes communities. Spec 4.7.1 6 Biodiversity Define biodiversity, explain its importance and describe threats to it and conservation measures. Spec 4.7.3.1 7 Waste Management and Pollution Explain how human population growth and rising living standards increase pollution of water, air and land, reducing biodiversity. Spec 4.7.3.2 8 Land Use and Peat Bogs Describe how humans reduce land available for other organisms, and explain why destroying peat bogs harms biodiversity and releases carbon dioxide. Spec 4.7.3.3 9 Deforestation Explain the reasons for large-scale deforestation in tropical areas and its consequences for carbon dioxide levels and biodiversity. Spec 4.7.3.4 10 Global Warming and Its Effects on Ecosystems Describe how rising carbon dioxide and methane cause global warming, and explain its biological consequences for species distribution, migration and biodiversity. Spec 4.7.3.5 11 Maintaining Biodiversity Describe the programmes humans use to reduce their impact on ecosystems and maintain biodiversity, and the conflicts these can involve. Spec 4.7.3.6 12 The Carbon Cycle Describe how carbon is cycled through ecosystems and the atmosphere. Spec 4.7.3 13 The Water Cycle Describe how water is cycled through the environment. Spec 4.7.3 14 Decomposition Describe the role of decomposers in nutrient cycling and the factors that affect decomposition rate. Spec 4.7.3 15 Sampling Techniques Describe how to estimate population size using quadrats, transects and mark-recapture. Spec 4.7.1