6 - MZH - Ecosystems definitions

Question 1

Species

Answer 1

A group of organisms sharing a large number of common features, which are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring

Question 2

Habitat

Answer 2

The place where a community is found

Question 3

Ecology

Answer 3

The study of interactions between organisms and between their environment

Question 4

Population

Answer 4

All the organisms of one species living in the same area. Males and femailes ina population can interbreed

Question 5

Niche

Answer 5

The role of a species in a community

The role refers to it’s position in the food chain and how it interacts with the environment with other species

Question 6

Community

Answer 6

Total of all the populations living in a ecosystem

Question 7

Ecosystem

Answer 7

All the organisms living in a particular area and all the abiotic conditions found there

Question 8

Producer

Answer 8

Organism that converts simple inorganic compounds (e.g. CO₂, H₂O and ions) into complex organic molecules generally using sunlight

Question 9

Consumer

Answer 9

An organism that gains energy and nutrients from feeding on another organism

Question 10

Autotrophic nutrition

Answer 10

Converting energy of sunlight → chemical potential energy in complex organic molecules

• Done by plants

Question 11

Autotroph

Answer 11

Organism who’s method of nutrition is autotrophic nutrition

Question 12

Heterotrophic nutrition

Answer 12

Form of nutrition carried out by consumers in which an organism gains its nutritients by eating other organisms

Question 13

Heterotoph

Answer 13

Organisms that aquire nutrition by the ingestion of other organisms

Question 14

Decomposer

Answer 14

Organisms that bread down dead + decaying material turing the organisc molecules into inorganic ones

Question 15

Environment

Answer 15

The biotic and abiotic conditions surrounding an organism

Question 16

Abiotic factors

Answer 16

Non-living parts of the environment

Question 17

Biotic factors

Answer 17

Caused by other living organisms

Question 18

Interaction

Answer 18

When’s the behaviour of one organism affects the behaviour of another

Question 19

Interspecific

Intraspecific

Answer 19

Intraspecific = Between oeganisms of the same species

Interspecific = Between organisms of different species

Question 20

Edaphic factor

Answer 20

An abiotic factor relating to the soil e.g. pH

Question 21

Food web

Answer 21

A diagram showing how all the members of a community depend on each other for food

Question 22

Food chain

Answer 22

A linear sequence of organisms, each feeding on the previous member. Food chains never exist in isolation in mature

Question 23

Primary consumer

Answer 23

Consumers that feed directly on plants (herbivores)

Question 24

Secondary consumer

Answer 24

Consumers that feed on herbivores (carnivores)

Question 25

Tertiary consumer

Answer 25

Consumers that feed on secondary consumer (top carnivores)

Question 26

Omnivore

Answer 26

Consumers that feed on both carnivores and herbivores

Question 27

Detrivore

Answer 27

Animals that feed on detriels (dead + decaying materil) e.g. earthworms