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ESO 4 Biology and Geology · 6 · Dynamics of Ecosystems

Activities

Questions: Ecology
[Source lesson]
  1. (a) Which are the fossil fuels? (b) Where do we use them? (c) Why is their daily consumption a problem for the environment?
  2. Make a diagram showing how the greenhouse effect is produced.
  3. Why are plants important at alleviating the problem of the global warming?
  4. Methane has a greater heat-trapping power than CO2. How is it produced?
  5. Make a diagram showing how acid rain is produced.
  6. What are the main harmful effects of the acid rain?
  7. What are the main sources of water pollution?
  8. How can a lot of organic waste reduce the numbers of animal life in a river?
  9. How can phosphates or nitrates accumulate in your body?
  10. What is eutrophication and why is it a problem for both aquatic plants and animals?
  11. How can pests be controlled naturally? What risk do this techniques pose?
  12. Why is manure more eco-friendly than chemical fertilisers?
  13. Name five reasons by which the fish populations may be declining in many areas of the planet.
  14. Why is deforestation produced?
  15. Name six adverse effects of deforestation.
  16. Which three measures to conserve natural ecosystems do you find more necessary in your region?
  17. Why are fungi and bacteria so important for ecosystems?
  18. How would you slow down the rate of decay of dead organic matter?
  19. Why is carbon essential for all living beings?
  20. Make a diagram of the carbon cycle.
  21. Why is nitrogen essential for all living beings?
  22. Why do plants depend on soil's bacteria and algae for their nitrogen supply?
  23. Why is it good for farmers to grow a crop of leguminous plants from time to time?
  24. Make a diagram of the nitrogen cycle.
Questions: Populations
[Source lesson]
  1. What is the difference between an habitat and an ecosystem?
  2. What is the definition of population in Ecology?
  3. Name four factors that have contributed to the human population explosion in the past two centuries.
  4. What is the difference between measuring and estimating the size of a population?
  5. How would you use quadrats to estimate the amount of daisies in the school gardens?
  6. Quadrats can be used to estimate the size of the populations of which type of species?
  7. What are transects used for?
  8. How could you identify which animal species live in the foliage of a tree?
  9. How could you identify which animal species live crawling on the ground?
  10. How could you identify which animal species live in leaf litter?
  11. What technique could be used to estimate the size of an animal population in an area?
  12. What pattern does the growth of a population that arrives to an unoccupied area follow?
  13. There are two types of ecological factors: conditions (e.g. temperature) and resources (e.g. heat). Which are the ones likely to provoke competition among the living beings? Why?
  14. Which resources could trigger competition among plant species?
  15. Of all the resources necessary for photosynthesis, which one is the least likely to produce competition among plant species?
  16. What is a community or biocenosis?
  17. Give four examples of interactions between species of a same community and tell the balance of advantage of each one.
  18. Name two adaptations of polar bears to their environment.
  19. Name three adaptations of cacti to their environment.
  20. Write a land food chain of 3-4 links, naming the position of each species in the chain.
  21. Write an aquatic food chain of 3-4 links, naming the position of each species in the chain.
  22. How are primary consumers also called? Why?
  23. How are secondary and forth consumers also called? Why?
  24. Which are the decomposers? What do they feed on? What do they produce?
  25. How do the populations of herbivores in a savannah control the number of small birds? Why? Which type of birds are favoured with this situation? Why?
  26. How are pyramids of numbers useful?
  27. What do pyramids of biomass account for? Why are they always a pyramidal shape?
  28. Why food chains have rarely more than 4 levels?
  29. Why is a vegetarian diet more likely to feed a greater amount of people?
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