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GCSE Ecology Revision Questions
Zainab
@zainab_02839
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Ecosystems, Competition and Adaptations
Every ecosystem is like a massive community where living things interact with their surroundings. Abiotic factors are the non-living parts of the environment - things like temperature, light intensity, and soil pH that affect where organisms can survive.
Biotic factors are all the living components that influence each other. These include food availability, new predators showing up, or diseases spreading through populations. Plants compete for light, space, water, and minerals from the soil, whilst animals fight over territory, food, water, and mates.
Interdependence means species rely on each other for survival - remove one species and it creates a domino effect throughout the entire community. Organisms have developed three types of adaptations: structural (body features like shape or colour), behavioural (like migration patterns), and functional (internal processes like metabolism).
Key Point: Environmental changes from seasonal shifts, geographical factors, or human activity can dramatically affect where species can live and thrive.
Studying Organisms and Food Chains
Extremophiles are tough microorganisms that live in extreme conditions where most life couldn't survive. Scientists study organism distribution using quadrats (square frames) and transects (straight lines across habitats) to count and compare populations in different areas.
Producers like green plants and algae kick off every food chain by making glucose through photosynthesis. This glucose becomes their biomass - the building blocks of life. Food chains follow a simple pattern: Producers → Primary Consumers (herbivores) → Secondary Consumers (carnivores) → Tertiary Consumers.
Predator-prey relationships create natural cycles where populations rise and fall together. When there's lots of prey, predator numbers increase. As predators eat more prey, prey numbers drop, which then causes predator numbers to fall too.
Remember: Energy transfers between organisms when they eat each other, but materials like carbon and nitrogen get recycled through the environment to be used again and again.
Cycles and Decomposition
The carbon cycle keeps carbon moving between the atmosphere, living things, and the environment. Plants remove CO₂ during photosynthesis, animals release it through respiration, and decomposers break down dead organisms to return carbon to the soil and air.
The water cycle uses the sun's energy to evaporate water from seas, which condenses into clouds and falls as rain to provide fresh water for all life. It's a continuous loop that's been running for billions of years.
Decomposition breaks down dead organisms and waste, creating compost that acts as natural fertiliser. The rate of decay depends on temperature (warmer speeds it up), oxygen availability, water levels, and the number of decomposer organisms present.
Practical Tip: In the decay rate experiment, you'll use lipase enzyme to speed up the decomposition process and measure how temperature affects the rate using the formula: rate = 1000/time.
Environmental Changes and Biodiversity
Biodiversity - the variety of species in an ecosystem - keeps environments stable because different species depend on each other. However, human population growth is reducing biodiversity as we demand more resources and energy, taking materials from the environment faster than they can be replaced.
Human waste pollutes water, land, and air in different ways. Landfills leak toxic chemicals into waterways, pesticides damage soil and organisms, and industrial emissions create acid rain. Deforestation in tropical areas worsens climate change by reducing photosynthesis and releasing stored carbon when trees are burned.
Global warming results from increasing greenhouse gases like CO₂ and methane. This causes rising sea levels, flooding, habitat loss, and forces species to change their migration patterns or face extinction.
Action Point: Scientists create conservation programmes including breeding endangered species, protecting rare habitats, and encouraging recycling to minimise ecosystem damage - though these efforts face challenges from cost and economic pressures.
Trophic Levels and Energy Transfer
Trophic levels represent the different stages of food chains, with four main levels. Level one contains producers (plants and algae), level two has primary consumers (herbivores), level three includes secondary consumers (carnivores), and level four features tertiary consumers - the apex predators at the top.
Pyramids of biomass show how much living material exists at each trophic level. Producers only capture about 1% of available light energy, and approximately 10% of biomass transfers to each higher level. The rest gets lost through incomplete eating, excretion, and respiration.
Decomposers like bacteria and fungi break down dead organisms by secreting enzymes that turn complex materials into simple molecules they can absorb. This recycling process is essential for returning nutrients to the ecosystem.
Calculation Key: Biomass transfer efficiency = (biomass transferred to next level ÷ biomass at previous level) × 100
Food Security and Production
Food security means having enough food to feed everyone, but it's threatened by growing populations, changing diets in developed countries, new pests and diseases, environmental changes, and conflicts over resources.
Overfishing has caused fish stock declines, but solutions include fishing quotas (limits on catches) and using bigger mesh nets so young fish can escape to reach breeding age. Food production efficiency improves by restricting animal movement, controlling temperatures, and feeding high-protein diets - though these intensive methods raise disease spread and animal welfare concerns.
Biotechnology uses living organisms to create useful products. Mycoprotein from Fusarium fungus provides high-protein meat substitutes for vegetarians. Human insulin production involves inserting human genes into bacteria using restriction enzymes and plasmids.
Ethics Check: Genetic modification can create pest-resistant crops and improve nutrition , but critics argue we should tackle poverty and soil quality issues first rather than just modifying crops.
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This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
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Anna
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Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
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Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
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This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
GCSE Ecology Revision Questions
Zainab
@zainab_02839
Ecology is all about how living things interact with each other and their environment - think of it as nature's big web of connections. You'll discover how organisms compete, adapt, and depend on each other, plus learn about the impact... Show more
Ecosystems, Competition and Adaptations
Every ecosystem is like a massive community where living things interact with their surroundings. Abiotic factors are the non-living parts of the environment - things like temperature, light intensity, and soil pH that affect where organisms can survive.
Biotic factors are all the living components that influence each other. These include food availability, new predators showing up, or diseases spreading through populations. Plants compete for light, space, water, and minerals from the soil, whilst animals fight over territory, food, water, and mates.
Interdependence means species rely on each other for survival - remove one species and it creates a domino effect throughout the entire community. Organisms have developed three types of adaptations: structural (body features like shape or colour), behavioural (like migration patterns), and functional (internal processes like metabolism).
Key Point: Environmental changes from seasonal shifts, geographical factors, or human activity can dramatically affect where species can live and thrive.
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Studying Organisms and Food Chains
Extremophiles are tough microorganisms that live in extreme conditions where most life couldn't survive. Scientists study organism distribution using quadrats (square frames) and transects (straight lines across habitats) to count and compare populations in different areas.
Producers like green plants and algae kick off every food chain by making glucose through photosynthesis. This glucose becomes their biomass - the building blocks of life. Food chains follow a simple pattern: Producers → Primary Consumers (herbivores) → Secondary Consumers (carnivores) → Tertiary Consumers.
Predator-prey relationships create natural cycles where populations rise and fall together. When there's lots of prey, predator numbers increase. As predators eat more prey, prey numbers drop, which then causes predator numbers to fall too.
Remember: Energy transfers between organisms when they eat each other, but materials like carbon and nitrogen get recycled through the environment to be used again and again.
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Improve your grades
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Cycles and Decomposition
The carbon cycle keeps carbon moving between the atmosphere, living things, and the environment. Plants remove CO₂ during photosynthesis, animals release it through respiration, and decomposers break down dead organisms to return carbon to the soil and air.
The water cycle uses the sun's energy to evaporate water from seas, which condenses into clouds and falls as rain to provide fresh water for all life. It's a continuous loop that's been running for billions of years.
Decomposition breaks down dead organisms and waste, creating compost that acts as natural fertiliser. The rate of decay depends on temperature (warmer speeds it up), oxygen availability, water levels, and the number of decomposer organisms present.
Practical Tip: In the decay rate experiment, you'll use lipase enzyme to speed up the decomposition process and measure how temperature affects the rate using the formula: rate = 1000/time.
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Improve your grades
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Environmental Changes and Biodiversity
Biodiversity - the variety of species in an ecosystem - keeps environments stable because different species depend on each other. However, human population growth is reducing biodiversity as we demand more resources and energy, taking materials from the environment faster than they can be replaced.
Human waste pollutes water, land, and air in different ways. Landfills leak toxic chemicals into waterways, pesticides damage soil and organisms, and industrial emissions create acid rain. Deforestation in tropical areas worsens climate change by reducing photosynthesis and releasing stored carbon when trees are burned.
Global warming results from increasing greenhouse gases like CO₂ and methane. This causes rising sea levels, flooding, habitat loss, and forces species to change their migration patterns or face extinction.
Action Point: Scientists create conservation programmes including breeding endangered species, protecting rare habitats, and encouraging recycling to minimise ecosystem damage - though these efforts face challenges from cost and economic pressures.
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Trophic Levels and Energy Transfer
Trophic levels represent the different stages of food chains, with four main levels. Level one contains producers (plants and algae), level two has primary consumers (herbivores), level three includes secondary consumers (carnivores), and level four features tertiary consumers - the apex predators at the top.
Pyramids of biomass show how much living material exists at each trophic level. Producers only capture about 1% of available light energy, and approximately 10% of biomass transfers to each higher level. The rest gets lost through incomplete eating, excretion, and respiration.
Decomposers like bacteria and fungi break down dead organisms by secreting enzymes that turn complex materials into simple molecules they can absorb. This recycling process is essential for returning nutrients to the ecosystem.
Calculation Key: Biomass transfer efficiency = (biomass transferred to next level ÷ biomass at previous level) × 100
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Food Security and Production
Food security means having enough food to feed everyone, but it's threatened by growing populations, changing diets in developed countries, new pests and diseases, environmental changes, and conflicts over resources.
Overfishing has caused fish stock declines, but solutions include fishing quotas (limits on catches) and using bigger mesh nets so young fish can escape to reach breeding age. Food production efficiency improves by restricting animal movement, controlling temperatures, and feeding high-protein diets - though these intensive methods raise disease spread and animal welfare concerns.
Biotechnology uses living organisms to create useful products. Mycoprotein from Fusarium fungus provides high-protein meat substitutes for vegetarians. Human insulin production involves inserting human genes into bacteria using restriction enzymes and plasmids.
Ethics Check: Genetic modification can create pest-resistant crops and improve nutrition , but critics argue we should tackle poverty and soil quality issues first rather than just modifying crops.
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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user