The nature of ecosystems (10.1) | Edexcel A-level Biology B - 9BI0

Students should:
$i Understand what is meant by the term ecosystem and that they range in size. ii Understand what is meant by trophic levels. iii Understand the advantages and disadvantages of pyramids of numbers, biomass (dry) and energy as useful representations of ecosystem structure and how biomass and energy are transferred within them. iv Know the ecological techniques used to assess abundance and distribution of organisms in a natural habitat, including types of quadrat, transects, ACFOR scales, percentage cover and individual counts. v Be able to select appropriate ecological techniques according to the ecosystem and organisms to be studied. CORE PRACTICAL 15: Investigate the effect of different sampling methods on estimates of the size of a population taking into account the safe and ethical use of organisms. vi Be able to use statistical tests to analyse data, including t-test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient.$

i Understand what is meant by the term ecosystem and that they range in size.

ii Understand what is meant by trophic levels.

iii Understand the advantages and disadvantages of pyramids of numbers, biomass (dry) and energy as useful representations of ecosystem structure and how biomass and energy are transferred within them.

iv Know the ecological techniques used to assess abundance and distribution of organisms in a natural habitat, including types of quadrat, transects, ACFOR scales, percentage cover and individual counts.

v Be able to select appropriate ecological techniques according to the ecosystem and organisms to be studied.

CORE PRACTICAL 15: Investigate the effect of different sampling methods on estimates of the size of a population taking into account the safe and ethical use of organisms.

vi Be able to use statistical tests to analyse data, including t-test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient.

The nature of ecosystems

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Learning Objectives