1.7a Ecological Relationships and energy flow Flashcards
Ecology
study of relationships between organisms and their environment
Population
Number of organisms of a SINGLE species in a given area
Community
All the populations of plants and animal species in a particular area
Biodiversity
The range of different species living in an area
Environment
The surrounding in which an organism lives
Ecosystem
The community (all the organisms and how they interact) and abiotic factors that affect them
Food chain
Shows the feeding relationship and energy transfers between organisms
Trophic level
The feeding level in a food chain - Level 1 always is a plant
Sun
Source of energy for all food chains
Biotic factors
Living factors that affect where an organisms lives eg grazers, disease, predators
Abiotic factors
Non living factors eg light , soil pH, temperature that affect where an organism lives
Quadrat
Square piece of equipment used in sampling (0.5m x 0.5m)
How to Find population of species by sampling an area
Set 2 tape measures at right angles
Select co-ordinates at random (to remove biased results)
Place quadrat
Count number of organisms or % cover
Record results
Repeat at least 10 times
Calculate average per quadrat
Calculate number per area sampled
How to find the effect of an abiotic factor by sampling in a changing environment
Place tape measure along the section being sampled e.g. from woodland to middle of field
At regular intervals along tape measure set quadrat down
Count/record % species present
Record results
Record abiotic factor at each stage e.g. temperature
Equipment to measure temperature
thermometer
