19.1 & 19.2: Populations in ecosystems Flashcards
Ecology
The study of the inter-relationships between organisms and their environment.
Ecosystems
Dynamic systems made up of a community and all the non-living factors of its environment.
Processes within an ecosystem
2 major ones
1) the flow of energy through the system
2) the cycling of elements within the system
How many species within in an ecosystem
more than 1
a number of
Species
A group of individuals that make up a population
Populations
A group of individuals of one species that occupy the same habitat at the same time and potentially able to interbreed.
Carrying capacity
ecosystem
An ecosystem that supports a certain size of population of a species.
Factors that affect the size of a population
2
1) the effect of abiotic factors
2) interactions between organisms
Community
All the populations of different species living and interacting in a particular place at the same time.
Habitat
A place where an organisms normally lives which is characterised by physical conditions and other types of organisms present.
Microhabitats
Smaller units within a habitat each with their own micro climate.
Ecological niche
A niche describes how an organism fits into the environment and refers to where it lives and what it does there.
Which conditions make up an ecological niche?
abiotic and biotic
in which an organism is adapted to survive, reproduce and maintain a viable population
The competitive exclusion principle
No two species occupy the same niche
Population size
No population continues to grow indefinitely because certain factors limit growth.
