Senior Biology Chapter 2 Answers

Review Questions 1. A specialist feeder is an organism that feeds on only one type of food. For example, a panda only eats bamboo. The risk with this feeding strategy is that something may affect the food source and then the species is at risk. A cane toad is not a specialist feeder and eats a wide range of food stuffs. That is part of the reason it has been so successful. 2. A population can only grow to a point where it is supported by the amount of food. If there was not enough food available, some of the population members would starve. If it went to extremes, the whole population could be starved out or need to move. An example of this might be locusts attacking a crop. A large swarm of locusts hit a crop and eat all of the available food. If they were not able to move on they would quickly starve. However, locusts fly on to the next area and eat all of the food there. 3a Some pond microhabitats might be under rocks or around the pond weed. Other microhabitats might be something as simple as living on the surface of the pond or on the bottom. 3b Different organisms occupy different microhabitats so that they would not be in direct competition for housing or food. 4. One microhabitat on a gum tree is the tree canopy. There can be quite a few different animals in the canopy. Koalas eat the leaves and possums eat the flowers. Another microhabitat is the base of the tree where ants eat dead leaves. 5. Terms used to describe feeding relationships that are linked together are food chains and food webs. 6a A producer is an organism that can photosynthesise. That is, producers can convert the suns energy into chemical energy in the form of organic matter. 6b These three organisms can all photosynthesise. Therefore they all have chlorophyll. 6c Producers are important because they are the only ones that can convert the suns energy into food. There would be no life on earth without them. 7a Herbivores eat plants examples include rabbits, cows, koalas, possums, ants Carnivores eat meat examples include cats, dogs, lions, hyenas, magpies Omnivores eat both plants and meat examples include humans, pigs Parasites live off another organism without killing it examples include tapeworms, mosquitos, fleas, ticks Scavengers eat dead animals examples include crows, Tasmanian devils, planarians Detritivores eat small particles of dead organic matter examples include crabs, worms, snails Decomposers break down dead material into the chemical components examples include bacteria 7b Each consumer has its role to play in an ecosystem. The producers make the original food for the food chain. The various consumers eat the food. Scavengers break down the dead material to a form that the detritivores can use. The detritivores get it into a form that the bacterial can use. The decomposers return the various nutrients so that the producers can use them.

Senior Biology Chapter 2 Answers

8. Producer Moss, lichen, pitcher plant,

Herbivore Honeypossum, cockatoo, kangaroo, sparrow, sawfly larva, sparrow, ant, magpie

Carnivore Magpie, cat, heron, dingo, ant, pitcher plant

Scavenger Planaria, cockroach, Tasmanian Devil, sparrow, ant

Detritivore Worm,

Decomposer Lichen, bread mould,

Notes: Lichens are a result of a relationship between a producer and a fungus. Pitcher plants are producers, but because they capture and break down insects to obtain nitrogen, they have also been included as carnivores. Sparrows in the wild are herbivores, but in urban areas they will scavenge around picnic and dining areas. Magpies eat at ground level and eat small reptiles, amphibians and insects. They will also eat grains and tubers. 9. (a) Grass cow human (b) eucalypt earth worm bandicoot snake kookaburra (c) eucalypt mistletoe plant (d) grass cow (faeces) dung beetle 10. A food chain is a simple diagram that shows the relationship between a number of organisms. A food web is a more complex diagram that attempts to show all of the feeding relationships in a community. 11. The food web shows all of the relationships between organisms in a community. Simple food chains are easily affected by changes in conditions and therefore organism numbers. Where the food web is complex, the community is stable because there are other feeding relationships. For example: pandas eat bamboo, when there is no bamboo available, the pandas die as they have no other food source. Magpies eat a range of small animals. If the weather is cold and the insects and reptiles are in smaller numbers, they can eat grains or other small animals that are available. 12. Slaters scavengers eating decaying plant and animal material and fungi Bacteria decomposer of all organic material Fungi decomposer of organic material Earwigs eat insects and plants Worms eat decaying material and small portions of plant material (This is not a food web, your food web should include the points listed above) 13a (i) pondweed waterbettles frogs kookaburra (ii) pondweed waterbettles frogs snakes kookaburra 13b (i) algae and pondweed (ii) daphnia, fishes, frogs, kookaburra, snakes, waterbettles 14. Deterring predators can be done by increasing size to intimidate, intimidatory behaviour, being poisonous, pretending to be poisonous (look like something that is poisonous), noise, evasive behaviour 15. Poisonous plants in the Australian bush can spoil the quality of the mean and dairy products. 16. Native animals have developed adaptations that enable them to eat potentially toxic plants. Domestic animals do not have the specific adaptations and get sick when toxic plants are eaten. Senior Biology Chapter 2 Answers 2

17. cyanobacteria herbivourous fish carnivorous fish humans 18. Bioaccumulation is the concentration of a toxic substance along a food chain. At each stage along the food chain, increasing amounts of the toxin is consumer until a consumer eats too much and is made very sick or dies. 19. Herbivores are grazers of food. They need to feed frequently and consistently. They cannot go long periods without food and tend to eat several times during the day. Grass eaters need to eat a large amount of food to supply nutrient and energy requirements. Because the availability of food can be weather dependent, they often have to have a wide range or migrate to follow the seasons. Grass eaters need to be wary of predators as they are on open ground. Often there will be a lookout member of the population and a specific signal to warn of danger. Other herbivores eat fruit and may need to move about to follow the seasons of food. Living in trees is generally safer than grazing on the ground. Carnivores tend to eat large amounts in burst of feeding. The large carnivores catch and eat large prey and eat as much as they can as it may be several days before they are able to feed again. They may need to migrate to follow the movements of their prey. 20a A sparrow feeds in a large flock for a number of reasons. Should a predator happen along, the chances are that someone else is the one who is eater, particularly if the flock contains younger or weaker birds. The large number of birds also increases the chance of a predator being spotted and a warning sounded. 20b Yabbies do a tail flip when touched so that the move out of the reach of the predator, startle it and give themselves time to escape. 21. The sentinel is on the lookout for danger and warns the mob of any potential danger. It gives the mob an advantage as the roos are able to escape in good time when necessary. 22a Algae and plants use the suns energy in the form of light to make food. 22b The light energy is converted into chemical energy in the process of photosynthesis. 23a Consumers are not able to make their own food or provide their own energy. The phrase second or third hand indicates that the energy is a couple of stages removed from the source before they get it. 23b grass cow human 24a Primary productivity is rate at which producers convert light energy to chemical energy (forming organic compounds). 24b Biomass is the amount of organic matter in an ecosystem. 24c deep ocean low Rice crop medium Desert low Tropical forests high 24d Producers in the deep ocean are affected by low light and nutrient availability. Producers in the desert have plenty of light but are affected by lack of water. 25. (Use the ppt definitions to prepare your own concept map) 26a Less than 10% 26b 60% is not digested, 30% is lost as heat 26c The amount of energy decreases at each stage along the food chain. 26d As a result of the decline of energy available at each stage on the food chain, the number of organisms is limited to 4 or 5 at most. 27a Eventually all energy is lost at heat. 27b Ecosystems dont run out of energy as it is continually supplied by the sun. 28a The numbers of hunter/gatherers were small because a large amount of land was needed to supply enough food. Also, there was a large investment of energy needed to find and capture the food.

Senior Biology Chapter 2 Answers

28b The major change that led to an increase in world population was the change to agriculture. This meant that food could be produced in a smaller amount of land. The people didnt need to travel about to find food or risk their lives in the hunting of large prey. From then, humans have searched for ways to produce more food, faster and with greater nutrition. 28c Some people suggest vegetarianism as a way to support more people because as vegetarians, people eat the producers directly and therefore (theoretically) get more energy. A lot of land is needed to raise animals for food. One issue with this is that the human digestive system does not process raw vegetable matter effectively and all of the food would need to be cooked or treated in some way. 29. The movement of matter is different to the movement of energy because energy is lost along the food chain and is continually re-introduced from sunlight. Matter is not being continually re-introduced nor is it lost. Matter is continually recycled through ecosystems. 30a A biogeochemical cycle is a cycle where the nutrients are cycled between the living (organic) and non-living (inorganic) parts of the ecosystem. An example of this is the carbon cycle where carbon enters the food chain by photosynthesis and leaves by cell respiration to go back to the atmosphere. 30b Without a biogeochemical cycle many nutrients would become unavailable for the living things. 30c Decomposers are the main instruments of releasing the nutrients back into the inorganic parts of the environment. For example, when an organism dies, carbon is still present in its body. Decomposers break down the organism and return the carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, therefore making it available for plants to take in for photosynthesis. 31. grass grasshopper magpie (dies) bacteria
carbon enters through photosynthesis carbon leaves by decomposition

32a Nitrogen is needed as it is a component of protein. 32b Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates and nitrites to make it available for plants to use. Plants cannot use atmospheric nitrogen. 32c Nitrogen fixing bacteria are found in the soil and the roots of some plants, especially legumes. 32d Azolla is introduced into rice paddies to increase nitrogen fixing and therefore increase the productivity of the rice paddy. 32e Animals obtain nitrogen from the food they eat, notably protein sources of food. 32f Nitrogen is released back to the atmosphere by denitrifying bacteria in the soil. 33a Phosphorus comes from the rocks and therefore soil. 33b (i) Plants obtain phosphorus from the soil in the form of phosphates. Some plants have a special relationship with fungi in the soil that increases the uptake of phosphates. (ii) Animals obtain phosphorus from the food they eat. 33c Phosphorus is a limiting factor of productivity. When crops are harvested, the phosphorus is removed, so phosphorus fertiliser is added to make enough available for the next crop of plants. 34. The main way the water cycle is different to the other cycles is that animals dont need to rely on plants to obtain it for them. Animals are able to access water directly.

Senior Biology Chapter 2 Answers

Dung for Dinner 1. The dung beetles control the fly population by burying the dung, making it out of reach of the flies. 2. The native dung beetles were adapted to the smaller faeces of the native animals and were unable to deal with the big dung of particularly cattle. This is why dung beetles needed to be introduced to Australia. More than one species was required to cope with the wide range of conditions across Australia and the different conditions of the different seasons. 3. Dung beetles lower the fly population and therefore lower the risk of domestic cattle becoming fly blown where flies lay eggs in open wounds. By burying the dung, the prevalence of intestinal parasites has decreased as the cattle are not re-infected as they feed. Also, the tunnels built by the dung beetles increase the water penetration, reduce water run-off, and improve root penetration and soil aeration. Bracken Fern 1. Bracken fern is able to tolerate soils that have been degraded by fire or overgrazing. It can tolerate strong light and is an excellent competitor for moisture, nutrients and light. All of these enable them to succeed in all parts of Australia. 2. Because the young fronds are more toxic than the older fronds, they are less likely to be eaten by predators. This gives them a chance to grow. It is likely that the older fronds are tougher and otherwise protected from predation. 3. An ecosystem benefits from bracken fern because the ferns open up areas for plant and animal colonisation. The ferns protect young shoots of other plants from harsh direct sun and enable them to start growing. The ferns provide a living space for insects enabling nutrients to be returned to the soil. World Primary Productivity 1. Desert ecosystems are the least productive of terrestrial ecosystems. 2. Deserts do not have enough water to enable them to become productive. They are also likely to be low in nutrients. 3. Aquatic ecosystems have plenty of water but are limited by the availability of light and nutrients. 4. The highly productive ecosystems all have plenty of light, a good temperature, plenty of water, and sufficient nutrients available. Rhizobium and Legume Plants 1a Legume plants are in the family Fabaceae and include beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils. These are plants that contain a larger amount of protein. Legumes have Rhizobium bacteria living in their roots that enable them to obtain plenty of nitrogen. 1b Legumes are an important staple crop in many parts of the world as if eaten with cereals, they provide a good balance of proteins. This is of assistance to people who are vegetarian (or vegan) and people who live where animal products are not available or are of poor quality. 2. Farmers rotate crops with a legume to increase the natural nitrogen available in the soil. The bacteria in the roots of the crop add nitrogen to the soil in the form of nitrates and nitrites. 3. Sometimes the legume crop is not harvested but is ploughed back into the soil to further enhance the amount of nitrates available. 4. Acacia plants are native to Australia and are able to fix nitrogen because they also have root nodules with bacteria present.

Senior Biology Chapter 2 Answers

How Productive are Australian Seas? 1. Australian seas are less productive than seas of other parts of the world because they are poorer in nutrients. 2. An upwelling is where winds and currents bring nutrient dense water from deep in the ocean to the surface where producers can use it. The nutrients are in deep water because as the sea animals and plants die, they sink to the bottom. However, at depths in the ocean, the nutrients are not available to the plants. Australia doesnt have many good upwellings. 3. (Design your own flowchart to show how this happens.) Further Questions 1. b 2. d 3. c The fish is the top order consumer and is therefore is the smallest numbers 4. b Producers use the least amount of sunlight 5. d 6. The giant panda is a specialist feeder and has only one source of food. If that food becomes scarce the animal is great risk of extinction. Cane toads eat a wide range of foods as is not at risk of not being able to find sufficient food. Therefore its numbers are increasing. 7a The horse trough could be considered an ecosystem as it becomes self-sustaining and contains all of the required items of a food chain. 7b At the very least, some kinds of bacteria would need to be in the horse trough to make it an ecosystem. They are needed to return the nutrients to the water for the producers. 7c The parts of the food web should include: algae and grass as the producers, mosquito larvae and beetles as the consumers and bacteria as decomposers. Also present might be a number of micro-organisms from the protist group such as amoeba, paramecium and euglena. On the given information, the food web is still quite restrictive. 8a If the kestrels were killed, initially the number of grasshoppers would increase. As competition for egg laying sites and food increased, the wheat would go down and the numbers of grasshoppers would start to fall. 8b Such simple ecosystems are unlikely to exist as they are too much at risk if something was to happen to one of the organisms. Indeed this happens as the crop is periodically harvested and the food of the grasshoppers removed. 8c Removal of the kestrels would see the food web totally break down. However, it could happen that a bird that is a poor competitor of the kestrel may move into the area and take over the niche and in time the food web reassert itself. 9. When the seagrass beds where removed for the formation of the marina, the breeding grounds of many fish were destroyed. In time this would lead to the observation of a decline in fish stocks. The numbers of pelicans and other marine birds also went down as they lost their food source. 10. Humpback whales are very large and need a lot of krill to survive. Krill are very small. By circling the krill and surrounding them with bubbles or air, they concentrate their numbers and make feeding easier. 11. Foxes are successful as they eat a wide range of foods including both producers and consumers. They also are scavengers. This range in diet means that they are able to survive when various factors may affect the availability of some of their foods. They are also able to travel great distances for food, ensuring that they are always well fed. 12. I would expect that the primary productivity would decrease from summer to winter as the temperature declined and less sunlight was available. Senior Biology Chapter 2 Answers 6

13. Farming herbivorous fish rather than carnivorous fish means that we would be closer to the start of the food chain, increasing the energy available. This would also mean that less energy would need to be supplied to the fish to make them productive. A side issue in the warm waters of Australia means that the fish would be at a decreased risk of ciguatera poisoning. 14. Eucalypt leaves are slow to break down because they have a very tough outer cuticle to protect them from harsh conditions. This cuticle also prevents the bacteria and fungi easy access to the leaf material to break it down. Eucalypt leaves also contain an oil with antibiotic properties that would also inhibit bacterial growth. By exposing the leaves to the elements, they dry out (even when watered) and cracks would appear in the leaf surface enabling the entry of the bacteria. Over time the exposure to the elements would also degrade the antibiotic oil in the leaf. 15. Planting clover in grasslands increases the amount of nitrogen available in the soil and increases the primary productivity of the area. 16a The fertility of the soil declines over time with constant wheat crops as the nitrates are removed from the soil and then leave the area when the crop is harvested. Nitrates are not being returned to the soil as the organic matter is removed. Wheat is not a crop that is able to provide nitrogen to the soil. 16b If scientists were able to add nitrogen-fixing bacteria to wheat and other commercial crops it would increase the productivity of each crop and decrease the amount of fertilisers that would be needed for each crop. 17. (This question can be quite complex or quite simple depending on the detail you choose to provide) Carbon: carbon in a carbon dioxide molecule in the atmosphere, drawn in through the leaves of a plant, go to a chloroplast, shifted to a glucose molecule, transported to the root of a potato plant, harvested by a farmer and travel by a number of trucks to a factory, the potato cut up into slices and the carbon atom no in a chip, frozen and put into a plastic bag, transported to a fish and chip shop, dropped unceremoniously into boiling oil, placed in paper and handed to a customer, eaten by the customer and travel through the digestive system, finally absorbed by the small intestine, travel in blood to liver, transported from liver to body cell by blood, taken in by cell, used in cell respiration and returned to a carbon dioxide molecule, travel through blood to lungs, released from lungs though (eventually) nose and released to the atmosphere. 18. Phosphate fertiliser would increase the productivity of the microscopic algae and other algae that supplement the food of the fish. This would ensure that the fish grow better and faster. 19. (Use worksheet to see persistence of named pesticides. Both of these accumulate in the food chain and are toxic to humans.) 20a (Requires research look for chemosynthetic organisms near underwater volcanoes as one example) 20b These food chains have no economic value as they are small, hard to get to, and do not produce much food. 21. (Requires research) 22a (Requires research) 22b (Requires the answer to 22a) 22c (Possible abiotic factors include rainfall, temperature, light availability, nutrient availability)

Senior Biology Chapter 2 Answers