3.1 Ecosystems Flashcards
What is a species?
a group of organisms which can
breed to produce fertile offspring
What is a population?
is the number of individuals
of the same species in an area
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives
What is a community?
All of the organisms in an area (all the different populations)
What is an ecosystem?
all of the living organisms
in an area and the non-living components
they interact with
Ecosystem equation
Communities + habitat = ecosystem
What is a biodiversity?
is the range of species which
live in an ecosystem
What is a niche?
the role
an organism plays
in its environment
What is a food chain?
Shows the feeding relationship between different organisms
Food chain equation
Grass > grasshopper > starling
What do the arrows in the food chain represent?
Direction of energy flow
What do food chains begin with?
Producer
What is the difference between a producer and a consumer?
Producer: Make their own food
Consumer: Eat other organisms for food
What is the point of a food web?
Show several food chains joined together
What is a predator?
An organism which eats other animals
What is prey?
Animals which are eaten by other animals
What is a herbivore?
An animal which only eats plants
What is a carnivore?
An animal which only eats other animals
What is an omnivore?
An animal which eats both plants and animal material
What happens if a population is reduced or completely removed?
- Population of predators will decrease (due to lack of food)
- Population of their prey will increase (due to no longer being eaten)
- Population of their competition will increase (due to greater food availability)
When does competition occur?
When resources are limited
What resources will organisms compete for?
- Food
- Water
- Space
- Mates
What are two types of competition?
- Intraspecific competition
- Interspecific competition
Intraspecific competition
Occurs between members of the same species
