1. Ecosystems Flashcards
What is Ecology?
The study of living things, how they interact and the impact humans have on them
What is the Biosphere?
The name given to the living planet, and all the living organisms that exist and interact upon it
What is the definition of a species?
All the individuals of the same species share characteristics, can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
What is meant by biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the total variety of organisms that are present in a particular area
Why is biodiversity important?
To study the effects of pollution
Plant and animal breeding
Living organisms are an important source of raw materials
Conservation
What can the biosphere be split into?
Huge bio-geographical areas known as biomes. However these can be split into even smaller area, with more distinct characteristics, called ecosystems
What is an ecosystem?
A naturally occurring unit made up of all the living things in a particular area, their non-living environment, and the interactions between them
Give examples of ecosystems
Pond, forest, plain, river, grassland, mountains, ect.
What is the place where an organism lives called?
It’s habitat
Give examples of habitats
Forest floor, under tree bark, leaf litter, shrub layer, ect.
What is a population?
All the living things of one species, within an ecosystem
What is the community?
All living things (all the populations) added together, in an ecosystem
What are three factors that affect biodiversity?
Biotic
Abiotic
Human influences
What are:
Abiotic factors?
Biotic factors?
Give examples
Abiotic factors are non-living factors which affect communities
Light intensity, rainfall, temperature, wind speed
Biotic factors are living factors which affect communities
Parasite and hosts, disease, predator/prey
What is a producer and consumer?
A producer is a green plant which can make its own food, by the process of photosynthesis
A consumer is a living organism that must feed on other organisms to obtain energy
What are the four sections consumers can be split into, define them?
Carnivores feeds only on other organisms (Fox)
Herbivores feed on only plants (deer)
Omnivores eat both animals and plants (human)
Decomposes feed on decaying organisms (fungi)
Which two terms are used to describe feeding relationships?
Predators are living organisms which hunt other organisms for food
Prey are living organisms that are hunted by other organisms for food
Which diagrams are used to describe feeding relationships?
Food chains are diagrams representing a set of feeding relationships within an ecosystem (it always starts with a producer)
Food webs are diagrams representing all the feeding relationships in an ecosystem
What is a niche?
A niche is the role that an organism plays within a community
It is not only the organisms habitat, but it’s whole way of life
What is predation?
Predation affects the numbers of both predators and prey
What happens if the prey population in an ecosystem grows?
Predator numbers will respond to the increased food source and grow as well
What happens when the predator numbers are high, because of increased food source?
How will this impact affect the predators?
The prey numbers will begin to fall, because of the increase in predators
This will cause the predator population to fall
What is a specialist?
A specialist is an organism that has a limited range of prey
What causes competition?
When organisms have the same needs, but these resources are in short supply
What things do organisms compete for?
Animal - Territory, food, water, nesting sites and materials, mates
Plant - Light, water, soil minerals, CO2
What is intERspecific competition?
When members of different species compete for the same resources in an ecosystem
What is intRAspecific competition?
When members of the same species compete for the same resources
(this competition is often much fiercer)
What is competition an important factor in?
The process of Evolution
