AQA Biology (Combined Science) Unit 7: Ecology Knowledge Organiser

Keywords Abiotic and Biotic Factors Food Chains Competition

Biodiversity - the variety of living organisms. Abiotic factors are the non-living factors of an The source of all energy in a food chain is the sun’s Species will compete with one another and also
Carrion - decaying flesh and tissue of dead animals. environment. E.g. moisture, light, temperature, CO₂, radiation. It is made useful by plants and algae which within their own species to survive and to reproduce.
wind, O₂ or pH. produce organic compounds through photosynthesis.
Community - made up of the populations of Mutualism occurs when both species benefit from a
different species living in a habitat. relationship.
Biotic factors are the living factors of an environment.
Competition - the negative interaction between two E.g. predators, competition, pathogens, availability Parasitism occurs when a parasite only benefits from
or more organisms which require the same limited of food. living on the host.
resource. Animals compete for resources such as food, water
Consumers - feed on other organisms for their
Adaptations and space/shelter. They may also compete within
energy. Can be primary, secondary or tertiary. Adaptations are specific features of an organism their own species for mates.

Decomposers - organisms which feed on dead and which enable them to survive in the conditions of Plants compete for resources including light, water,
decaying organisms. They break down the biomass their habitat. space and minerals. All these resources are needed for
and release nutrients into the soil. Adaptations can be structural, behavioural or photosynthesis so the plant can make its own food.
functional: Plants do not need to compete for food.
Deforestation - the removal and destruction of trees
in forest and woodland. • Structural adaptations are features of the organism’s
body e.g. colour for camouflage. The living organisms use the energy to produce biomass Deforestation and Land Use
Ecosystem - the interaction between the living
and grow.
organisms and the different factors of the • Behavioural adaptations are how the organism Humans use land for buildings, quarrying, mining,
environment. behaves e.g. migration to a warmer climate during When a living organism is consumed, some of the agriculture and landfill. As the human population
colder seasons. biomass and energy is transferred. Some of the energy increases and we take more land, there is less space for
Global warming - the increase of the average global
• Functional adaptations are the ways the is lost. other organisms to live.
temperature.
physiological processes work in the organism e.g. Remember: the arrow in a food chain indicates the
Habitat - where a living organism lives. Deforestation (to use wood as a fuel/material or to clear
lower metabolism during hibernation to preserve direction of the flow of energy. space for other uses) destroys habitats where other
Interdependence - the interaction between two or energy.
Populations of predators and prey increase and organisms live.
more organisms, where it is mutually beneficial.
A plant or animal will not physically change to decrease in cycles. The size of the predator population
Population - the number of individual organisms of Peat bogs are produced when decomposition occurs
adapt to its environment in its lifetime. Instead, depends on the size of the prey population and vice
a single species living in a habitat. over a very long time. Peat stores a lot of carbon
there is natural variation within the species and only versa. Overall, there is a stable community. and can be extracted for use by gardeners or as an
Predators - organisms which kill for food. organisms whose features are more advantageous in
energy source. Burning peat releases a lot of carbon
Prey - the animals which are eaten by the the environment survive. The survivors then go on to
dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to the
predators. reproduce and pass on their features to some of their
greenhouse effect.
offspring. The offspring who
Producers - convert the sun’s energy into useful Trees absorb carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, so as
inherit these advantageous
compounds through photosynthesis. They are green they are cut down and removed, less carbon dioxide
features are better
plants or algae. is taken from the atmosphere. Furthermore, when the
equipped to survive.
Scavengers - organisms which feed on dead animals trees are burned, they release carbon dioxide back into
Charles Darwin
(carrion). the atmosphere. The excess carbon dioxide can lead
described this process as
Species - organisms of similar morphology which ‘survival of the fittest’. to global warming and the changes to the ecosystem
can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. cause reduced biodiversity.

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AQA Biology (Combined Science) Unit 7: Ecology Knowledge Organiser
Water Cycle Global Warming RPI: Field Techniques Quadrats and Transects Carbon Cycle

The distribution of an organism is affected by

the environment and abiotic factors.
Quadrats can be used to measure the frequency
of an organism in a given area e.g. the school
field. You could count the individual
organisms or estimate the percentage
cover. You must collect data from at
least two areas to make a comparison.
Quadrats should always be placed randomly.

Transects are used to measure the change of

distribution across an area e.g. from the edge of
a river and moving further from the water’s The main focus on the carbon cycle is its transfer
Convection is the movement caused within a fluid
edge. You could either count the number of to and from the atmosphere. When carbon is in the
as the hotter, less dense material rises and colder, The greenhouse effect is the natural process where some of
organisms touching the transect at regular atmosphere, it combines with oxygen to form carbon
denser material sinks under the influence of gravity. the Sun’s radiation is trapped within the insulating layer
intervals or use a quadrat placed at regular dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
This results in the transfer of heat. of the atmosphere. This maintains a temperature suitable
intervals along the transect.
to support life on Earth. Carbon is transferred from the atmosphere when
Evaporation occurs when heat energy from the
total number of organisms plants absorb carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and
surroundings (or a heat source) is transferred to Most of the radiation from the Sun is absorbed by mean = when the gas is dissolved into oceans.
water particles as kinetic energy. The particles begin the Earth when it reaches the surface. The rest of the number of quadrats
to move more rapidly and can turn from a liquid into infrared radiation is reflected from the surface and absorbed Carbon is transferred to the atmosphere through
a gas. by the greenhouse gases and clouds in the atmosphere. This respiration by animals, plants and bacteria and by
is then re-emitted in all directions. combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas).
Condensation occurs when moving particles transfer
kinetic energy to the surroundings. The particles However, due to many contributing factors, the global Dead animals and plants are decomposed and their
begin to move even more slowly and can turn from a temperature is gradually increasing. Several gases, called matter is broken down by microbes and fungi. These
gas into a liquid. greenhouse gases, trap the heat around the Earth; the most organisms are collectively called decomposers. When
concerning is carbon dioxide. Human activities contribute the organisms are broken down, the microbes and
Precipitation occurs when rain, snow, sleet, or hail
to the excess amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fungi release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
falls to (or condenses on) the ground. through respiration.
and so are a cause of global warming.
Transpiration is the process by which water is
carried through plants from roots to the stomata on Global warming leads to the melting of ice caps, rising sea
the underside of leaves and it evaporates into the levels, flooding, changes to climate, changes in migration
surroundings. patterns, changes in species distribution and reduction in
biodiversity.

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AQA Biology (Combined Science) Unit 7: Ecology Knowledge Organiser
Biodiversity and Waste Management Maintaining Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of living organisms on the earth or in an ecosystem. There are many ways that biodiversity and ecosystems are maintained:
It is important in helping to maintain stable ecosystems. Organisms are • Breeding programmes can help to protect endangered species from
often interdependent, relying on others as food sources, or to create suitable extinction.
environmental conditions to survive. Human survival is also dependent on
• Conservation programmes can help to protect and preserve specialised
this biodiversity.
ecosystems and habitats such as peat bogs and coral reefs.
The global human population has exceeded 7 billion.
• Reintroduction of hedgerows and field margins on agricultural land can
Human population has increased due to modern medicine and farming
help improve biodiversity by breaking up the monoculture crops.
methods, reducing famine and death from disease.
This means a greater demand for food, resources and water. • Sustainable forestry programmes help to manage the woodlands and reduce
It also means more waste and emissions are created. the deforestation to a sustainable rate.

• Societies actively encourage recycling and reusing of products and packaging

to reduce the household waste going to landfill sites.

Unfortunately these programmes can be difficult to manage. They are

often expensive and are difficult to regulate. People who are employed
in certain areas, e.g. tree felling, cannot always transfer their skills to an
environmentally friendly role and so become unemployed. It is difficult to
maintain biodiversity whilst preventing crops being overrun with pests and
weeds, which would affect food security for the human population.

Sewage, toxic chemicals, household waste and gas emissions pollute the
water, land and air, killing plants and animals and reducing biodiversity.

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