B4-Community-level Systems Flashcards
Ecosystem
All of the living and non living things that interact in an area
Habitat
The place where an organism lives
Population
All the organisms of one species in a habitat
Community
All of the plant and animal species that live in a habitat
Producer
An organism that makes its own food by photosynthesis
Consumer
An organism that eats other organisms
Trophic level
The levels in a food chain
Carnivore
An animal that only eats other animals
Herbivore
An organism that eats only plants
Omnivore
An organisms that eats both plants and animals
Predator
An organism that kills and eats other organisms for food
Prey
An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
Biomass
The mass of living organisms
Decomposer
A microorganism that feeds on dead or decaying material
Detritivore
A small animal that feeds on dead or decaying material
Saprophyte
Organisms that feed on dead or decaying material
Abiotic factors
The non living conditions in an ecosystem e.g. temperature or rainfall
Biotic factors
The living conditions in an ecosystem e.g. the number of predators or prey
Interdependence
How different organisms depend on each other within a community
Interspecific competition
Competition between members of different species
Intraspecific competition
Competition between members of the same species
Biomass transfer formula?
Biomass available after
————————————— X 100
Biomass available before
What do plants need to survive?
Light
Water
Minerals
What do animals need to survive?
Food
Water
Oxygen
Breeding partners
Mutualism
Where both organisms benefit from the relationship
Parasitism
Where one side benefits (the parasite)
Predation
The relationship between a predator and its prey
What materials are cycled?
Water
Carbon
Nitrogen
How is carbon removed from the atmosphere?
Combustion and photosynthesis
How is carbon released into the atmosphere?
Respiration, decomposition and the burning of fossil fuels
How are nutrients released by decomposers?
They release enzymes, these then absorb soluble nutrients to use for energy store and growth
What is egestion?
Removal of undigested waste from an organism
Excretion
Removal of waste products from an organism
What is the Carbon cycle?
The process through which carbon is cycled through the atmosphere, the Earth, plants and animals
