3. Energy flow and nutrient cycling Flashcards
A habitat is
a place where organisms live –
for example, a coral reef crest
One species of organism you will probably find in the coral reef crest habitat in the Caribbean is
the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata
how to actually describe the habitat for elkhorn coral a little more precisely
It lives in and around exposed reef crests and in the forereef, in depths of generally less than 6m
Figure 3.2 Fringing reef
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Figure 3.2 Barrier reef
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Figure 3.2 Atoll
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Ecology is
the study of the interactions of organisms with each other and with their physical environment
An ecosystem is
all the organisms that occur together in a particular place and the environment with which they interact
The Earth is divided into large regions known as
biomes that have similar climatic features
Each ecosystem has a border with
adjacent ecosystems with which it exchanges resources
Communities are
larger groupings that include all the populations of plants, animals, microorganisms that live together in a particular place
Population is
groups of individuals of one species that occur together in a particular place.
The interactions of an organism with members of its
own species, unrelated species and the environment all contribute to
its ability to survive, grow and reproduce
The major kinds of interaction between species or organisms include (6)
mutualism, competition, commensalism, plant–herbivore, predator–prey parasitism
Mutualism is a
biological interaction in which the growth, survival and reproduction of both interacting species are enhanced and neither species can survive without the other
example of mutualism with fungi and plants
Fungi may be associated with plant roots and have an important role in the absorption of phosphates and
other essential minerals required for plant growth.
Fungi enhance plant growth, while receiving shelter and food molecules
Competition is
the interaction between members of the same population in order to obtain a limited resource such as food and fertile mates
Competition also occurs between members of different populations.
In competition, one species may interfere with another species to prevent or restrict access to a resource.
eg of completion in plants
plants may produce toxic chemicals in response to grazing by herbivores.
The toxic chemicals make the plants distasteful to herbivores, thereby giving them a competitive advantage over plants that do not produce toxins
