Ecology Flashcards
What is a foodweb
A food web is a system that depicts the feeding relationships within a community. It consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem. Each living thing in an ecosystem is part of multiple food chains. Each food chain is one possible path that energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem. All of the interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web. The arrows point towards where the enegry goes
What is a Tropic Level
Trophic levels refer to the position an organism occupies in a food chain within an ecosystem. There are five main trophic levels:
Primary Producers (First Trophic Level): Also known as autotrophs, these are usually plants and algae that perform photosynthesis to manufacture their own food source1. They make up the first trophic level and are the primary energy source in any ecosystem1.
Primary Consumers (Second Trophic Level): These are herbivores that gain energy by eating primary producers1. They are adapted to consuming and digesting plants1.
Secondary Consumers (Third Trophic Level): These are carnivores and omnivores which eat herbivores1. They are known as secondary consumers1.
Tertiary Consumers (Fourth Trophic Level): These are carnivores and omnivores which eat secondary consumers1. They are known as tertiary consumers1.
Apex Predators (Fifth Trophic Level): These animals have no natural predators and are therefore at the top of the food chain1. They are known as apex predators1.
In addition to these, there are Decomposers or Detritivores. These organisms consume dead plant and animal material, converting it into energy and nutrients that plants can use for effective growth. Although they do not fill an independent trophic level, they recycle waste material from all other trophic levels and are an important part of a functioning ecosystem1.
It’s important to note that due to the way energy is utilized as it is transferred between levels, the total biomass of organisms on each trophic level decreases from the bottom-up1. Only around 10% of energy consumed is converted into biomass, whereas the rest is lost as heat, as well as to movement and other biological functions1. Because of this gradual loss of energy, the biomass of each trophic level is often viewed as a pyramid, called a trophic pyramid.
Many animals can have multiple prey and multiple predators; the non-linear interactions of trophic levels can therefore be best viewed as a food web rather than a food chain1. However, disruption within one of the trophic levels, for example, the extinction of a predator, or the introduction of a new species, can have a drastic effect on either the lower or higher trophic levels.
What is an introduced species
It is an animal that was not originally in ecosystem, introduced by humans
what is a producer
The thing which is at the very bottom of the food chain, and produces the energy
What is a detrivore
Somehing that eat decaying stuff and feeds off of the scraps left over by the other organisms
What is a biotic factor
A biotic facotor is an organism or something relating to organisms that affects the ecosystem. For example Predators or biodiversity.
What is an abiotic factor
An abotic factor is a non organic factor affecting the ecosystem, For example, Soil PH, Temparture.
