Abiotic and Biotic Factors Flashcards
designed to enrich out appreciation of the world which is crucial for human well-being and prosperity
ecology
Provides new knowledge of the interdependence between people and nature that is vital for important issues such as food production, maintaining clean air and water, and sustaining biodiversity in a changing climate
ecology
study of interactions of organisms with other organisms and with the physical environment
ecology
“Each living organism has an ongoing and continual relationship with every other element that makes up its environment”
principle of ecology
the sum total of interacting living organisms and their non-living environment in an area
ecosystem
ecology and this are related because ecological interactions are natural selection pressures that have long-term effects
evolution
ECOLOGICAL LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
Ecosphere
Biosphere
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
summation of all biospheres (ecosystems) worldwide
ecosphere
community of organisms and populations interacting with one another and with the abiotic factor making up their environment
ecosystem
populations of different plants and animals living and interacting in an area at a particular time
community
group of organisms of the same species living within a particular area
population
any form of life which includes plants and animals
organism
Abiotic factors include:
wind
sunlight
soil
temperature
atmosphere
water
means house or home, Greek word for ecology
oikos
means to study
logos
– coined the term ecology
Ernst Haeckel
Defined ecology as “the body of knowledge concerning the economy of nature, the investigation of the total relations of the animal to its inorganic and organic environment
Ernst Haeckel
study of the house or the place we have lived
Ecology
focuses on how an individual organism interacts or response to abiotic environment
Autecology
deals with interactions among populations or communities
Synecology
interdisciplinary field that incorporates concept from natural sciences and social sciences (e.g. politics, economics, and ethics)
environmental science
Interactions can be:
biotic to biotic
biotic to abiotic
abiotic to abiotic
may observe or examine the factors affecting marine population, an environmental scientist might develop a method or a product that would lessen population
ecologist
examines interactions between a population and environment
population ecology
includes organisms of belonging to same species occupying same place at a given time
population
deals with interactions among populations of all species living in a certain area which makes up a community
community ecology
focuses on the interactions among all biotic and abiotic components of the system
ecosystem ecology
comprises the community and its physical environment
ecosystem
has developed a number of sub disciplines that focus on specialized areas in science
modern ecology
– refers to which an organism’s ecology may affect its heredity
genetic ecology
which ideals with mathematical modeling of interactions among components of an ecosystem
systems ecology
focuses on spatial distribution or patterns in the environment
landscape ecology
include the physical (e.g. topography, altitude, transparency) and chemical environment (e.g. salinity, amount of nutrients, pH)
abiotic factors
can be geographical/natural or man-made (outer -physical, inner-social)
abiotic factors
Can be classified as either a resource or a condition
abiotic factor
abiotic factor that can be consumed (e.g. air, water, and inorganic nutrients)
resource
– those which may be experienced and affects biotic components (e.g. temperature and pH)
conditions
can be considered both a resource and condition (resource – used for photosynthesis and a condition since its presence and absence can affect the behavior of animals)
light
major source of energy and natural light from Earth
sun
travels in the form of waves, it is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength perceived by humans as the color of the light (visible light) or non-visible light such as: X-rays, gamma rays ultraviolet light, microwaves, and
radio waves
light
can be reflected, absorbed, or transmitted
light
how much light is reflected in plants
6-12
how much light is transmitted
10-20%
how much light is absorbed in aquatic
90 percent
visible portion of solar radiation needed for photosynthesis with a wavelength of 400 to 700 nanometer (nm)
photosynthetically active radiation
is not 100% reaching the Earth’s surface (about 51% of the solar energy traveling to Earth makes it through the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface)
solar radiation
scatter the solar radiation, and reflects it back to space
cloud and atmosphere
is filtered or absorbed by the ozone layer situated in the stratosphere
ultraviolet rays
process of food production in plants thereby considered as one of the most important process on earth
photosynthesis
forms visual color allowing vision and main source of energy and affects global temperature
photosynthesis
region in the earth that receives the highest amount of solar radiation thereby resulting to high temperature as compared to polar regions
tropical
the innate activity and inactivity of organisms in response to light is characteristics of all organisms
except bacteria
circadian rhythms
means about
circa
means day
dies
those who are active during night time
nocturnal organisms
those active during day time
diurnal organisms
- when the duration of light (dark) reaches a certain portion of 24-hour day, it inhibits or promotes what
photoperiodic response
are those whose reproductive or other seasonal activity is stimulated by daylengths shorter than their critical day length.
short day organisms
Ber months, longer nights
short day organisms
they are not being controlled by day length
day neutral
are those whose seasonal responses such as flowering and reproduction, are stimulated by daylengths longer than the critical day length.
long day organisms
Observed during summer months (watermelon, mangoes
long day organisms
evaporation of water from the leaves of the plant (stomatal movement to reduce evaporation movement)
transpiration
-refers to the covering of land which is composed of minerals, organic material, gases, living organisms, air, and water which supports plant growth
soil
Five factors that influence soil formation
parent material
climate
biotic factors
topography
time
refers to the mass of rock in which soil maybe formed
parent material
Can be igneous rock, sedimentary rock, or metamorphic rock
parent material
rock that come from volcanoes
igneous rocks
rock that – come from deposition of minerals or sediments
sedimentary rock
may come from decay of plants and animals, or even from shells in the ocean floor
sediments
either igneous or sedimentary rock which have been altered by heat or pressure
metamorphic rock
which include factors such as temperature and rainfall may affect the formation of soil
climate
refers to the long term weather condition of an area
climate
It may affect the plant and animal life as well as the rate of weathering and decomposition
climate
include all organism from microscopic e.g. bacteria and fungi to huge plants and animals
biotic factors
aids in the decomposition or breaking down of organic materials to inorganic matter thereby bringing back the nutrients to the soil
bacteria and fungi
refers to the contour of the land which may affect the holding capacity of water in the soil and weathering process
topography
is being done in steep slopes to avoid soil erosion and preventing loss of water.
terracing
is very important factor that affects soil formation. It takes several years for the soil to be formed especially in a barren area in which weathering (breaking down of rocks process) should take place to release the mineral tied up in the rocks.
time
Usually young soils are more fertile than old soils because of long- time leaching of nutrients which are not being replaced by fresh materials
time
has several properties which include color, texture, and structure
soil
can be used as a basis for its identification, as it may indicate the content of the soil
soil color
color of soil that may indicate fertility or high organic content due to carbon
brownish to black
decomposed organic materials that have high organic content due to carbon
hummus
indicate the presence of iron
reddish soil
– indicate presence of quartz or carbonates of calcium and magnesium
white and grey soil
refers to the proportion of each soil particles which is based on the size.
soil texture
Soil particles are divided into four:
clay
sand
silt
gravel
soil particle measuring 2.0mm
gravel
soil particle measuring 0.05 to 2.00 mm
sand
soil particle measuring 0.002 to 0.05
silt
soil particle measuring smaller than 0.002mm
clay
out of the four soil particles, this can hold more water than gravel
clay
can move in large particles than in small particles such as clay
air
possesses large pore spaces that favor rapid water infiltration, percolation and drainage.
coarse textured soil
soils containing almost equal mixture of clay, silt sand and humus and is the ideal for planting
loam
refers to the manner in which soil particles are being clumped
soil structure
are not attached to one another resulting to a granular structure.
sandy particles
particles that stick to one another
clay particles
characteristic of good soil which means that it crumbles because it has spaces for air and water.
friable
Soil profile refers to the horizontal layers in the soil
soil profile
each layer of the soil profile is known as
horizon
uppermost layer, organic layer because it contains organic matter
o layer
Where loose leaves, twigs, and undecomposed materials or litters are found
o layer
Usually brown or black in color
which layer
o layer
– top soil, lies beneath the O layer, which is also known as the topsoil
a layer
Usually topsoil is darker in color and looser than other layers because of the humus and or decomposed organic matter and some inorganic mineral particles
a layer
Most of the living organisms and nutrients are found in A layer
a layer
layer where minerals and humus are found
a layer
transport of dissolved organic matter and minerals to lower layers
leaching
where leeching process takes place
e layer
also known as subsoil, contains less organic materials and fewer organisms as compared to A layer
b layer
Where minerals are usually deposited
b layer
consist of weathered plant material, incomplete fragments of rocks
c layer
referred to as bedrock
r layer
soil produced from weathering
residual soil
transported soil can be (4)
alluvial
colluvial
glacial
eolian
deposited by river flow
alluvial soil
deposited by gravity or landslide
colluvial soil
deposited by glaciers
glacial soil
through both erosion and deposition of sediment
eolian soil
space diameters up to 20um – capillary pores
micropores
space diameter up to 20-50um (non capillary pores)
macropores
refers to the degree of hotness or coldness of an object which is measured using thermometer. It refers to the measure of the average speed or kinetic energy of the atoms and molecules of the substance
temperature
means faster average speed
higher temperature
slow speed
lower temperature
is the energy in the process of being transferred from one object to another because of the temperature difference between the objects.
heat
Importance of temperature:
1.Regulate the metabolism, morphology, and physical activities of plants and animals
2.Interacts with other environmental factors such as altitude
3.Affects the distribution of plants and animals
4.Source of thermal or heat energy
Four categories of plants on the basis of their heat tolerating capacity
megatherms
mesoderms
microtherm
hekistotherm
plants growing in regions where high temperatures prevail throughout the year, e.g., desert vegetation and tropical rain forests,
megatherms
Refer to tropics with long period of seasons
megatherms
plants of the regions where high temperature alternating with low temperature, e.g., tropical deciduous forests and aquatic plants
mesotherms
Temperate countries with alternating high and low temperature
mesotherms
plants of the regions where low temperature prevail throughout the year, e.g., mixed coniferous forests,
microtherm
plants growing in regions with very low temperature, e.g., alpine vegetation
hekistotherms
or warm-blooded animals capable of maintaining a nearly constant body temperature irrespective of the temperature of the environment. They can regulate and maintain a constant internal temperature just like humans
homeotherms
or cold –blooded animals cannot regulate their internal body temperature according to that of the changing environment are having difficulty to survive the extreme temperature conditions. Examples include reptiles and fish.
poikilotherms
gain heat from the external source
ectothermic animals
animals absorb heat from their metabolism
endothermic animals
regulate their body temperature as per the surroundings
endothermic animals
microorganisms that can tolerate 40-90c
thermophiles
microorganisms that can tolerate 10-45c
mesophiles
microorganissm that can tolerate -5-40c
psychrophiles
optimum conditions and are adapted to bright and fairly dry climates (e.g. corn and sugarcane)
what type of photosynthesis
c4
type of photosynthesis for cool, moist, and shady plants
C3
very dry environment (e.g. cacti)
kind of photosythesis
CAM
one of the most important resource for survival. About 75% of the earth surface is covered with this
water
Consist of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen which are bonded together covalently
water
It is known as the “universal solvent”, which means can almost dissolved anything and thereby a good transporting medium
water
It is also in a liquid state at over wide temperature range.
➢It exist in any of the three phases which are solid, liquid and gas
➢Has high specific heat
➢75% of the earth’s surface
➢97% marine water
➢2% solid water in glaciers and snow
➢>1% liquid water in lakes, rivers, and streams
water
Ecological types of water: (4)
atmospheric water
precipitation
soil water
bodies of water
water on the surface and ground (water table
soil water
efers to number of calories required to raise 1 gram of water at 1oC
specific heat
water has high levels of this because In order for a 1 gram of solid ice to melt and convert to liquid state, about 80 calories of heat must be absorbed
latent heat
which is the conversion of liquid water to gaseous state or vapor. It requires 536 calories to convert 1 gram of water at 100oC into vapor. The evaporation of water off a surface causes a cooling effect just like humans in which during
sweating, the water evaporates off the surface of the skin and cools down the surface
high latent heat of vaporization
is the resistance of a liquid to flow, it is the source of frictional resistance for objects to move on water
viscosity
enables it to support small animals such as water strider and water spiders
high surface tension of water
less dense than water because of the hydrogen bonds being spaced out and being relatively apart
ice
Based on water requirements, plants may be classified as: (4)
xerophytes
mesophytes
hydrophytes
halophytes
grow on areas with little amount of water
xerophytes
grown on areas with moderate amount of water
mesophytes
more than enough requirement of water
hydrophytes
tolerate high presence of salts
halophytes
amount of water in a given volume of the air
absolute humidity
amount of water volume in the air expressed as percentage of saturation vapor pressure
relative humidity
in this, the relative humidity is 100 percent
saturation vapor pressure
moisture in form of water vapor
humidity
colorless mixture of gases in the earth’s atmosphere
air
refers to the horizontal or vertical movement of air or gases on the surface of the ground. It is formed due to uneven heating of land and water causing vertical movement of gases
wind
Serve as a medium for the transport of materials (e.g. pollination, cloud transport, rainfall
wind
expressed in kilometers per hour
wind speed
40-60kph kind of wind
strong breeze
60-90kph kind of wind
gales (strong wind)
90-120kph kind of wind
storms
> 120kph
kind of iwn
hurricane
Wind depends on factors such as: (4)
topography
vegetation masses
position of seashore
major wind path
refers to the physical geography of the surface of the earth caused by the movement of the solid portion of the earth
topography
refers to the shape, height, and depth of the land surface in a place or region. Physical features that make up the topography of an area include mountains, valleys, plains, and bodies of water
topography
movement of the solid portion of the earth
diastrophism
movement of the solid portion of the earth
slope
makes use of elevation contour lines to show the shape of the Earth’s surface
topographic map
are imaginary lines connecting points having the same elevation on the surface of the land above or below a reference surface, which is usually mean sea level.
elevation countours
line connecting places of equal elevation
contour line
edge of the forest at high altitude or latitude beyond which no tree can grow
tree line
is a product of chemical reaction termed as combustion
fire
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the what, flames are produced. In order for combustion to occur and flames to form, three things must be present: fuel, oxygen, and energy (usually in the form of heat
ignition point
s consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and nitrogen.
flame
may either be naturally produced (e.g. lightning) or anthropogenic or produced by human activities
flame
most common type which feeds on the litter layer
surface fire
Kill herbaceous leaves and plants
surface fire
sweeps through the canopy of the forest and kills most above ground vegetation
crown fire
affects organic matter down to mineral substrates
ground fire
can cause removal of competition of surviving plants, pests, parasitism and diseases, increases light intensity , modifies the pH, elements and organic materials of the soil and controls the weeds, and maintains the grassland.
fire
presence of both abiotic and biotic factors concretize this need that brings about the concept of interactions
interdependence
what the organism does
niche
classified according to how they get their food
biotic components
produce their own organic nutrients for themselves and other members of the community
autotrophs
could be classified as chemoautotrophs (bacteria) or photoautotrophs
producers
those obtaining energy from chemicals to produce carbohydrates
chemoautotrophs
those obtaining energy from light to produce carbohydrates
photoautotrophs
process of food production in the presence of light
photosynthesis
process in which organic compounds are synthesized by some bacteria using inorganic molecules such as hydrogen sulfide or ammonia
chemosynthesis
dependent on producers for their food directly or indirectly, and are the consumers
heterotrophs
animals that graze directly on plants or algae and hence considered to be the primary consumer
heterotrophs
feed on other animals are considered as secondary or tertiary consumers
carnivores
sometimes called top predators
carnivores
animals that feed both on plants and animals
omnivores
feed on organic material in the soil, breaks down detritus or decaying organic matter to inorganic matter, to be used again by the producers
detritivores
made up of organelles which are consist of chemical molecules in compounds of atoms
cell
organisms can be single-celled organisms (unicellular) and multiple-celled organisms (unicellular
cell
similar cells are grouped together to perform specific function
tissues
Latin word that means “tool” or “instrument
organum
similar functioning tissues forms this, functioning as one
organ
consist of different organs that perform a certain physiological process which keeps the organism alive
organ system
any form of life, and are usually classified according to their species
organism
organisms which belong to the same species and are capable of producing fertile offspring, occupying a particular place at a time
population
consisting of different populations interacting with each other, meaning of different species
occupying a certain place at a time
community
communities interacting with the abiotic or non-living components makes this up
ecosystem
various ecosystems tend to exist at a geographical area and being influence by temperature, precipitation, or climate forming the next hierarchy
biome
means life
bios
means life
sphaira
sum of all ecosystems on Earth, can also be called ecosphere
biosphere
biological relationships occurring between individual of same species
intraspecific
biological relationships occurring between different species
interspecific
may be positive or negative, or beneficial or harmful to one and neutral for the other
interspecific interactions
means “living together”, refers to interactions in which there is a close relationships between members of two populations, this includes parasitism, commensalisms, and mutualism type of relationships
symbiosis
interaction in which individuals of one species (parasite) benefit in terms of growth and reproduction to the harm of the other species (host)
parasitism
Examples are tapeworm (parasite) and cow or pig (hosts), mites and dog, even lichens (fungi and green algae)
parasitism
one species is benefitted, and the other is neither harmed nor benefitted
commensalism
Examples are sucker fish and shark, crane and carabao
commensalism
both species benefit in terms of growth and reproduction
mutualism
Examples include termites and gut protists, acacia trees and ants
mutualism
type of ecological interaction where both the species involved in the interaction are benefitted, but the interaction is not obligatory for survival
protocooperation
one species (predator) uses the other (prey) as a food source
predation
Act of killing the prey by the predator, and no selection process because the victim is usually the weakest among the group
predation
include fleeing, hiding, self-defense, and mobbing
behavioral defense
include odors and toxins against predators
chemical defense
indicated by warning colors, and is sometimes associated with other defenses (toxins)
aposematic coloration
refers to the use of a combination of materials or coloration that makes an animal blend in with its environment, making it difficult for the predator to see
camouflage
Includes cryptic coloration, deceptive markings
camouflage
is the resemblance of an organism to the other organisms in appearance or behavior to protect itself from predation
mimicry
two types of mimicry
mullerian mimicry
batesian mimicry
two harmful species mimic each other as survival technique
mullerian mimicry
harmless species mimics the appearance of a harmful or noxious species
batesian mimicry
armadillos and clams have these protective structures to avoid predators
shells or armor coats
have modified hair to discourage predators
porcupines
have alarm calls that is considered as behavioral defenses
birds
have different ways of hunting such as through ambush, stalking, and pursuit
predator
type of hunting among crocodiles and lizards which they wait for prey to come along
ambush
quick attack seen in cats and herons
stalking
common to lions, wolves, hawks which involves minimal search time because the predator knows
where the prey are located and pursuit time is great
pursuit hunting
one species (grazer) use part of the other as food
grazing relationship
There is a selective process among different species on which will be used as food only a partial will be consumed
grazing relationship
Include ruminants and grasses, female mosquito and human
grazing relationship
interaction between two species over a limited resource negatively affecting the population growth rates
comeptition
➢
May result to the exclusion of one population
➢
Has an evolutionary effect since the process of natural selection is based on the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce
competition
favorable to both but not obligatory
protocooperation
also known as Gause’s law, is a proposition that two species competing for the same limited resource cannot coexist at a constant population values
Competitive Exclusion Principle
not only outcome as coexistence can occur
elimination
principle of Gause’s law
complete competitors cannot coexist
competition promotes this
natural selection
can be seen along the food chain, is a “who eat whom”
nutritional relationships
represent single path of sequence of organisms that form links
food chain
complex trophic feeding relationships that exist in nature those organisms in an ecosystem
that are the same number of food chain steps from energy input into the system
food webs
feeding level of one or more populations in a food web
trophic level
shows this trophic structure of an ecosystem as a graph representing biomass, organism number, or energy content of each trophic level in a foodweb
ecological pyramid
located in the first trophic level
primary producers
located in the second trophic level
primary consumers
located in the third trophic level
secondary consumers
dependent upon solar energy flow and finite pools of nutrients
ecosystems
can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be changed from one form of energy to another
first law of thermodynamics
states when energy is transformed from one form to another, there is always some loss of energy from the system, usually as low grade heat
second law of thermodynamics
rule where the amount of energy from one level to the next is reduced by a magnitude of 10
10% rule
prime motivation that brings about interactions
interdependce among organisms
