Biodiversity & Photosynthesis 1: Ecological Terms & Biodiversity Flashcards
Define Biodiversity
Biodiversity or is the variety of life (plants and animals) on Earth.
Define ecosystem
An ecosystem is the interaction between a community of living organisms (plant
‘s, animals and other organisms) and their environment (non-living parts and abiotic factors).
Habitat + community + abiotic factors.
Define population.
All the living organisms of one species.
Define Habitat.
The place where an organism lives.
e.g. A fox lives in a den
this can be in urban & gardens, rivers and wetland, coastal & marshland, deciduous woodland, mixed woodland, arable land as they are versatile creatures
Define Abiotic factor
factors affecting a species that are a result of non-living factors.
List some abiotic factors
Temperature, pH, Moisture content of soil, light intensity, oxygen concentration and rainfall. There are many more examples.
What instrument do we use to measure light intensity and moisture?
A light/moisture meter. Remember to be on the correct setting.
What instrument(s) do we use to measure temperature?
A thermometer. (this can be a glass thermometer, digital, or a data logger)
What instrument(s) do we use to measure pH?
pH or litmus paper, universal indicator or a pH meter.
Define Biotic factor
factors affecting a species that are directly caused by living things.
List the 3 main biotic factors
Predation, disease and grazing
Why do we sample plants and animals?
to investigate an ecosystems community. It allows us to gather information on whether there are too many or little of certain organisms and to make changes to keep the natural balance just right.
What method would we use to sample small insects/animals on a forest floor? (Describe how we set it up too!)
A PITFALL TRAP is a container buried so that its top is level with the surface of the ground. Any creatures that wander nearby may fall in.
What method would we use to sample plants in a field? (Describe how we set it up too!)
QUADRATS are placed on the ground to look at the plants or slow-moving animals within them.
They are thrown at several random locations and the number of the organism (you are interested in) are counted within the quadrat.
When sampling how do we make our results more reliable?
Make sure the quadrat is thrown randomly.
Samples should be taken multiple times and an average taken.
