Classifying Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
A self sustaining unit made up of a community of organisms in an area, the physical environment in which they live, and the interactions between them.
What is an environment?
The biotic and abiotic factors of an area.
What is a habitat?
An area or environment within an ecosystem where an individual of a species lives, feeds
and reproduces.
What is a biome?
A large scale category of ecosystem across a large geographical area. Characterised using climate, animals and plants.
What is an abiotic factor?
The non-living components in an ecosystem.
What is a biotic factor?
The living components in an ecosystem.
What is a population?
A group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area at the same time.
What is a community?
A group of populations of different species in an ecosystem living in close enough proximity to interact.
Are biomes the same? Give an example.
Each type of biome shares similarities. For example, all savanna grasslands, whether they are in Australia or Africa, are characterised as an area of grass with few trees, a dry season that is either very hot or very cool, a warm wet season and less than 490mm of rain.
List some examples of terrestrial biomes.
- Tundra
- Taiga
- Temperate forest
- Temperate grassland
- Tropical rainforest
- Savannah grassland
- Desert
List some examples of aquatic biomes.
- Lake
- Coral reef
- Ocean
- Estuary
- Rocky shore
List some biomes in Australia.
- Deserts
- Savannah grasslands
- Tropical/subtropical rainforests
Describe grasslands.
- Arid regions.
- Ground cover <30%, typically hummocks and tussocks.
- Dominant species: grasses (2cm-2m tall).
- Many species adapted to fire and drought.
Describe woodlands.
- Widely spaced canopy cover 10-30%.
- Well-developed shrubs and grasses.
- Widely spaced trees, fewer and more scattered than in forests.
- Mainly dominated by eucalypts.
- Found in southern, temperate Australia.
Describe reefs and marshes.
- Dense growth.
- Reef: ridge of material at or near the surface of the ocean.
- Reefs occur naturally. Made of rocks or coral (remains of skeletons of small animals).
- Marsh: a wetland, an area of land where water covers the ground for long periods of time.
Describe closed (rainforest) forests.
- Dense canopy 70-100%.
- Distinct layers/storeys within forest.
- Mostly evergreen tress.
- High amounts of rainfall.
- Tropical rainforests found near the equator. High temperatures and humidity.
- Temperate rainforests found near coastal, mountainous areas within mid-latitudes.
Describe scrublands/shrub lands/heathlands.
- Foliage cover 30-70%.
- Contain many types of vegetation.
- Typical vegetation: shrubs.
- Variable overstored of small trees (mulga/eucalypts).
- Adapted to drought, fire and low rainfall.
Describe deserts.
- Ground cover widely spaced (patches).
- Areas with less than 100mm of rainfall per year.
-18% of mainland Australia is desert. - Many plants are ephemerals, short-lived specie that follow after good rain. They rapidly germinate, grow, flower and set seed while soil is moist.
- Other plant are xerophytes, plants with physical adaptation suited to dry environments. Such as fewer, smaller leaves to minimise water loss.
- Common wattle: Australian mulga.
Describe alpines.
- Low, fairly continuous ground cover.
- Found in cold mountain regions (above tree line where altitude makes temps too low for tree growth).
- Rocky landscape, may contain glacial lakes and seasonal snow coverage.
Describe open (sclerophyll) forests.
- Fairly open canopy cover 30-70%.
- Good unrestored/ground cover.
- Fairly even height (25-35m).
- Moderately dense canopies that often join.
- Forest floor ranges from dry to damp. Covered with grasses and shrubs.
- Dominated by eucalypts.
- Most common forest type in Australia.
Draw a flow diagram consisting of biomes, communities, environment, ecosystems and abiotic and biotic factors.
Biomes —> ecosystems —> communities (biotic) —> environment (abiotic)
Biotic: competitors, predators, disease, parasites, mates.
Abiotic: temperature, light intensity, texture and pH of soil, concentration of gases in the air, nutrient availability/water availability.
