7.4 Populations in an Ecosystem

Question 1

What is a population?

Answer 1

induviduals of the same species living in the same habitat at the same time

Question 2

What is a habitat?

Answer 2

part of an ecosystem in which a particular organism lives

Question 3

What is a community?

Answer 3

all the populations of different species in a particular area at a particular time

Question 4

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 4

a community and the non-living components of an environment (biotic and abiotic factors)
they can range in size from very small to very large

Question 5

What is a niche?

Answer 5

an organisms role within an ecosystem, including their position in the food web and habitat. Each species occupies their own niche governed by adaptation to both biotic and abiotic conditions

Question 6

What is carrying capacity?

Answer 6

the maximum population size an ecosystem can support

Question 7

What are abiotic factors?

Answer 7

non-living conditions of an ecosystem

Question 8

What are biotic factors?

Answer 8

living conditions of an ecosystem

Question 9

What are some examples of abiotic factors?

Answer 9

temp
oxygen
CO2 conc
light intensity
pH
soil conditions

Question 10

How do animals and plants adapt to abiotic factors within their ecosystem?

Answer 10

the process of natural selection over many generations

Question 11

How do abiotic factors affect population size?

Answer 11

less harsh abiotic factors = the larger the range of species and the larger the population size

Question 12

What is interspecific competition?

Answer 12

members of different species are fighting for the same resource that is in limited supply

Question 13

Which species wins interspecific competition?

Answer 13

induvidual better adapted to the environment is more likely to succeed in the competition

Question 14

What is intraspecific competition?

Answer 14

when members of the same species are fighting for the same resources and mates

Question 15

Which induvidual wins intraspecific competition?

Answer 15

induviduals that are fitter will have more energy to perfrom a more impressive courtship ritual or have fur or feathers in a better condition to attract a mate

Question 16

Which type of competition has a greater effect on the population size and why?

Answer 16

intraspecific = there is competition within the entire niche
the fundamental niche is the same

Question 17

What are the key features of a predator-prey graph?

Answer 17

the size of the predators and prey population both fluctuate
there will always be more prey than predators
the size of the population will always change in the prey then the predators = there is a lag time

Question 18

Why is the prey population always higher than the predator population?

Answer 18

due to trophic levels and the energy transferres through these levels, the energy decreases working up the food chain, so the prey have more energy

Question 19

Why is there a lag time for the predator population behind the prey population on the graph?

Answer 19

the predator population decreases the prey population

Question 20

What happens to an organism in their ideal ecological niche?

Answer 20

orgnaimsis increase in number exponentially up to the carrying capacity of their habitat

Question 21

What is a fundamental niche?

Answer 21

the role an organism could possibly play in their ecosysyem

Question 22

What is a realised niche?

Answer 22

the acutal found role of the species within the ecosystem

Question 23

What shape is a growth curve?

Answer 23

s-shaped

Question 24

What does a growth curve show?

Answer 24

no two species can co-exist in the same ecological niche
when competing for the same food supply