1B - Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
A unit that includes all biotic (living) parts (e.g. plants and animals) & abiotic (non-living) parts (e.g. soil and climate) in an area
What is a producer?
Organism that uses sunlight energy to produce food
What is a consumer?
Organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms (e.g. Eats producers or other consumers)
What is a decomposer?
Organism that gets its energy by breaking down dead material (e.g. dead producers, dead consumers or fallen leaves)
What is a food web?
Shows lots of food chains and how they overlap
What is a food chain?
Shows what eats what
What determines what type of ecosystem forms?
The climate
Name the 6 main types of ecosystems
- Grassland
- Temperate Deciduous Forest
- Polar
- Hot Desert
- Tropical Rainforest
- Tundra
Name the two types of grassland
Savannah & Temperate grasslands
Where are Savannah grasslands found and describe the climate?
Between the tropics - there are distinct dry and wet seasons, although rainfall is relatively low
What vegetation is found in the Savannah grasslands?
Mostly grasses with a few scattered trees
Where are temperate grasslands found and describe the climate?
Found at higher latitudes where there’s more variation in temperature and less rainfall
What vegetation is found in the temperate grasslands?
Just grasses (no trees)
Where are temperate deciduous forests found and describe the climate?
Found mainly in mid latitudes where there are four distinct seasons: summers are warm, winters are relatively mild & there’s rainfall all year round
Why do deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter?
To cope with the colder weather