B7 Ecology Flashcards
Habitat
The place where an organism lives
Population
All the organisms of one species living in a habitat
Community
The populations of different species living in a habitat
Abiotic factor
Non-living factors of the environment (e.g. temperature)
Biotic factor
Living factors of the environment (e.g. food)
Ecosystem
The interaction of a community of living organisms with the non-living parts of their environment
What do plants compete for?
Light
Space
Water
Mineral ions from the soil
What do animals compete for?
Space/territory
Food
Water
Mates
What is interdependence?
When species in an ecosystem depend on each other for things like food, shelter, pollination and seed dispersal
What does interdependence mean?
Any major change in an aspect of the ecosystem (like a species being removed) can have far-reaching effects for other parts of the ecosystem
What is a stable community?
A community where the species and environmental factors are in balance so the population sizes are mostly constant (sometimes they move in cycles)
Abiotic factor examples
Moisture level Light intensity Temperature Oxygen/carbon dioxide levels Wind intensity and direction Soil pH and mineral content
Biotic factor examples
New predators
Competition
New pathogens
Availability of food
How could an abiotic factor affect a community?
A decrease in the mineral content of soil could cause nutrient deficiencies for plants
How could a biotic factor affect a community?
A new predator could cause a decrease in the population of the prey
Structural adaptation
Features of an organisms body structure. For example:
White fur for camouflage on Arctic animals
Thick layer of blubber on whales to keep out the cold
Camels have large surface area to volume ratio to lose heat
Behavioural adaptation
The way organisms behave, For example:
Migrating to warmer climates during the winter to avoid the problems of living in a cold environment
Functional adaptations
Things that go on inside an organism’s body. For example:
Desert animals conserve water by producing very little sweat and small amounts of concentrated urine
Brown bears hibernate and lower their metabolism during the winter to conserve energy
Extremophiles
Microorganisms that are adapted to live in very extreme conditions, such as high or low temperatures, high salt concentration and high pressure
Food chain/web stages
Producers - usually plants and algae that get their energy from the Sun
Primary consumer - eats producers
Secondary consumer
Tertiary consumer
Apex predator - organism at the top of the food chain
Predator-prey cycles
Population sizes of predators and prey go in cycles because each population affects the other. A larger prey population means more food for predators, but when the predators have eaten all the prey they have less food and the prey population rises again.
Why are predator-prey cycles out of sync with each other?
It takes a while for one population to respond to a change in the other
Distribution
Where an organism is found
