B19 Organising an ecosystem Flashcards
What is a producer?
Organism that makes its own food via photosynthesis
What is a food chain?
Representations of the feeding relationships within a community
What is a consumer?
Organism that eats other organisms for food
What is a herbivore?
Organism that only eats producers
(Plants, Algea)
What is a predator?
Organism that kills and eats other organisms
What is an apex predator?
Carnivore with no predators
What proportion of biomass is transferred from each trophic level to the one above?
About 10% each time between trophic levels
Why is biomass lost between trophic levels?
- Some material is lose as waste (E.g urea in urine)
- Used in respiration
- Movement
- To keep animals warm
What is the carbon cycle?
Process that returns carbon from organisms to the atmosphere
What is the water cycle?
Process that provides fresh water for plants and animals on land before draining in to seas or rivers
What is a decomposer?
Organism that breaks down dead plant and animal matter
What is the role of decomposition?
Returns carbon to the atmosphere.
Returns mineral ions to the soil.
Decomposers secrete enzymes to make small soluble food molecules
What factors affect rate of decay?
Oxygen levels
Moisture levels
Temperature
pH levels
What gas does anaerobic decay produce?
Methane
How can methane gas be used?
Can be used as a fuel
