7C - Ecosystems Flashcards
Habitat
The place where an organism lives, e.g. a rocky shore or a field.
Population
All the organisms of one species in a habitat.
Community
Populations of different species in a habitat make up a community.
Ecosystem
A community, plus all the non-living (abiotic) conditions in the area in which it lives. Ecosystems can be small, e.g. a pond, or large, e.g. an entire ocean.
Abiotic conditions
The non-living features of the ecosystem, e.g. temperature and availability of water.
Biotic conditions
The living features of the ecosystem, e.g. the presence of predators or food.
Niche
The role of a species within its habitat, e.g. what it eats, where and when it feeds.
Adaptation
A feature that members of a species have that increases their chance of survival and reproduction, e.g. giraffes have long necks to help them reach vegetation that’s high up. This increases their chances of survival when food is scarce.
Ecology
The study of organisms in an environment.
Environment
The conditions that surround an organism - biotic and abiotic factors.
Species
Organisms that look similar that can breed to produce fertile offspring.
What is specific about niches?
Every species occupies a different niche.
What does the niche a species occupies include?
Its biotic interactions - e.g. the organisms it eats, and those it’s eaten by.
Its abiotic interactions - e.g. the oxygen an organism breathes in and the carbon dioxide it breathes out.
What can a niche be occupied by only?
It can only be occupied by one species.
What happens if two species try to occupy the same niche?
They will compete with each other and one species will be more successful than the other, until only one of the species is left.
What adaptations can there be?
- Physiological (processes inside the organisms body).
- Behavioural (the way an organism acts).
- Anatomical (structural features of their body).
What are physiological adaptations?
Adaptations of processes inside the organisms body.
What are behavioural adaptations?
Adaptations of the way an organism acts.
What are anatomical adaptations?
Adaptations of structural features of their body.
What are organisms with better adaptations more likely to do?
Survive, reproduce and pass on the alleles for their adaptations.
What happens if the organisms with better adaptations are more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on the alleles for their adaptations?
The adaptations become more common in the population.
What is natural selection?
When organisms with better adaptations survive, reproduce and pass on the alleles for their adaptations. so that the adaptations become more common in the population.
What is it called when organisms with better adaptations survive, reproduce and pass on the alleles for their adaptations, so that the adaptations become more common in the population?
Natural selection.
What is every species adapted to do?
Use an ecosystem in a way that no other species can - it has its own unique niche.
What conditions are organisms adapted to?
The biotic and abiotic conditions in their ecosystem.
Give an example of abiotic conditions
How much water is available.
Give an example of biotic conditions
What predators there are.
Is how much water is available a biotic or abiotic condition?
Abiotic.
Is what predators there are a biotic or abiotic condition?
Biotic.
