4 Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
Community of living organisms together with their non-living environment.
What components do all ecosystems have?
- Producers.
- Consumers.
- Decomposers.
- The physical environment.
What are producers?
Organism that makes its own food, e.g green plants.
What are consumers?
Organism that eats other organisms.
What are decomposers?
Organism that feeds by breaking down the dead remains of other organisms, helping to recycle nutrients.
What is the physical environment?
All the non-biological components of the ecosystem; for example, the water and soil in a pond or the soil and air in a forest.
What are the living components of an ecosystem called?
The biotic components.
What are the non-living (physical) components of an ecosystem called?
The abiotic components.
What are biotic factors?
Biological factor affecting an ecosystem.
What are examples of biotic factors?
- Food supply.
- Predation.
What are abiotic factors?
Physical or chemical factor affecting an ecosystem.
What are examples of abiotic factors?
- Light intensity.
- Temperature.
What does an ecosystem contain a variety of?
An ecosystem contains a variety of habitats.
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives.
What are examples of habits in a pond ecosystem?
They include:
- The open water.
- The mud at the bottom of the pond.
- The surface water
What is the population?
All the organisms of one species living in a particular habitat at a certain time.
What are examples of the possible populations in a pond?
- All the immature frogs (tadpoles)
swimming in a pond are a population of tadpoles - All the water lily plants
growing in the pond make up a population of water lilies.
What is a community?
All organisms of all species found in a particular area at a certain time.
What is an image which shows a pond ecosystem?
What must an ecologist do when he wants to know how many organisms there are in a particular habitat?
He should count a smaller representative part of the population, called a sample.
How can we sample plants or animals that do not move much - like snails?
By using a quadrat.
What is a quadrat?
It is a square used in ecological investigations to sample animals or plants.
How do you figure out what the size of the quadrat should be?
The size of quadrat you use depends on the size of the organisms being sampled.
What is the best size of quadrat to use to count plants growing on a school field?
To count plants growing on a school field, you could use a quadrat with sides 0.5 or 1 metre in length.