5.2 Flashcards
Ecology
Study of ecosystems
Biosphere
all of the earth’s living components
Multicellular organism
Individuals composed of many specialized cells
Population
Group of organisms of the same species in the same area
Ecosystem
A dynamic system of organisms that interact with each other and their environment.
Community
Populations of organisms living together in the same habitat
What are non-living factors called
Abiotic factors
What are living/dead factors called
Biotic factors
Transpiration
Transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and flowers.
Why is chlorophyll essential for photosynthesis?
Chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis as it collects sun rays and makes glucose to allow plants to grow.
What happens to an ecosystem if a species disappears
- The species can no longer eat other species or be eaten.
- Instability in food chain/web
- Population decrease
Why are bees under threat
destruction of habitat
Role of bacteria in an ecosystem
Provides nutrients
produces growth hormones
breaks down dead organic matter into simple inorganic substances.
How does energy move through an ecosystem
Energy flows through an ecosystem in a one way stream, from primary producers to various consumers.
Producers/autotrophs.:
Organisms that can make their own food
Eg. Plants are producers because they can make their own food(glucose) through photosynthesis.
Consumers/heterotrophs.
Organisms that obtain their food by consuming other organisms eg. animals
Herbivores
Organism that consumes mostly plants
What 4 groups are consumers divided into?
- Herbivores
- Carnivores
- Omnivores
- Detritivore
Carnivore
Organism that consumes mostly meat
Omnivore
An organism that consumes both meat and plants to survive.
detritivore
An organism that consumes dead organic matter like plant detritus.
Decomposers
Organisms that break down organic matter into simpler inorganic materials that can be recycled in the ecosystem by producers. eg. fungi and bacteria
Inter-specific competition
Competition between different species for limited resources such as food
Intra-specific competition
Competition between the same species for limited resources such as food
Predator
A predator is an animal that hunts, kills and eats other
animals for food.
Define the term prey
Prey is a term used to describe organisms
that predators kill for food.
Symbiotic relationships
are close relationships between two species in which at least one species benefit
Types of symbiotic relationships
- Mutualism
- Parasitism
- Commensalism
Parasitism–host relationships
Where the parasite lives on or in the host and feeds off it, the parasite is harmed whilst the host is harmed usually not killed.
Ectoparasite
An organism that lives on the skin of the host in host relationships.
(endoparasite
A parasite that lives inside the host
Who benefits and who is harmed in host relationships?
The Parasite benefits and host is harmed – usually not
killed
Mutualism
Organisms lBOTH benefit from
the relationship.
Commensalism
One organism BENEFITS, whilst the other is UNAFFECTED
Ecology niche
A species’ ecological niche is its role in the ecosystem including its habitat, nutrition and relationships.
Explain why producers are essential to ecosystems.
Producers provide the basis of the food chain from which all energy in an ecosystem is sourced
Characteristics of symbiotic relationship
- between different species
- Sustained relationship
- atleast one species benefits
Predator-prey relationship
In a predator–prey relationship, one species kills an organism and consumes it(the prey.)
Parasitoids
Organisms that kill the host within a short period of time
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is an ecological relationship between two different species that live in direct contact with each other.
biome
A biome is a large region of Earth that has a certain climate and certain types of living things
Species
A group of organisms that have similar features
What is necessary for a relationship to be considered symbiotic?
There must be a close physical relationship between two different species over a long period of time
Why does a parasite usually not kill its host
If a parasite killed its host it would lose its food supply and shelter.
example of mutalism
bees and flowers- the bees get to eat, and the flowering plants get to reproduce.
Example of commensalism
tea frogs using plants as protection
Example of parastism
leeche sucking blood from human
What do the arrows represent in a food web? What direction do they point in?
The animal that the arrow is pointing toward is the animal doing the consuming
