Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
The study of how living things interact with each other and to their environment
Ecosystem
Group of living organisms and their interactions with there environment
Biosphere
Any part of the earth where life can exist
Habitat
A place where a plant or animal lives
Population
All the members of the same species living in an area
Community
All the different populations in an area
Flora
Plants
Fauna
Animals
Niche
Functional role of an organism in an ecosystem
Abiotic
Non living factors
Eg light intensity,air speed
Biotic
Living factors
Eg predators, prey,parasites
Climatic
Weather conditions that effect an ecosystem
Eg temp,rainfall
Edaphic
Soil factors
Eg soil type,soil PH
Food chain
Sequence of organisms showing the transfer of energy from one to the next
Grazing food chain
One where the initial plan is living
Eg. Grass - rabbit - fox
Detritus food chain
Begins with dead organic matter and animal waste
Producers
Organisms that can make there own food
Consumers
Organisms that can’t make there own food they feed on other organisms
1.primary consumers
Feed on producers
Eg. Herbivores (eat plants only)
2.secondary consumers
Feed on primary consumers
Eg. Carnivores (eat meat only)
3.tertiary consumers
Feed on secondary consumers
Omnivores
Organisms that eat plants and animals
Tropic levels
The position of an organism in a food chain
Food web
A number of interlinked food chains and shows the feeding relationships between organisms in the ecosystem
Nutrients recycling
The reuse of nutrients by organisms
Key
A guide for identification of flora and fauna
Qualitative survey
Measuring the prescenece or absence of organisms
Quantitative survey
Measuring the amount of organisms present
Nitrogen fixation
The conversion of nitrogen gas into nitrates
Nitrification
The conversion of ammonia to nitrate and nitrate to nitrate
Dentrification
The conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas
Nitrogen fixing bacteria
-function of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle
Converts atmospheric nitrogen to nitrates
Bacteria
-function of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle
Decay nitrogen waste to ammonia
Nitrifying bacteria
-function of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle
Converts ammonia to nitrates then nitrates
Dentrifying bacterua
-function of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle
Converts nitrates to nitrogen
Pollution
Any harmful addition to the environment
Pollutants
Substances that causes pollution
Eutrophication
A condition where lakes become over- enriched with nutrients resulting from excess artificial fertilisers washed into rivers and lakes
Conservation
The management of the environment
Waste management
Reduce reuse recycle
Waste management in agriculture - slurry
Problem- pollutes rivers - eutrophication
Solution - spread during misty weather 2 meters from any water course
Composting
Aerobic process during which micro- organisms decompose organic matter into a stable substance called compost which recycled all the by required for plan growth
Organic matter
Dead plants and animals
Pyramid of numbers
Represent the numbers of organisms at each tropic level in a food chain
Factors that control population
Competition , parasitism , predation
- help maintain population numbers and a balance of nature
Competition
Struggle between organisms for resource that are in short supply
Contest competition
Struggle between two organisms for a resource where only one wins
Scramble competition
Each organism gets an equal share of of the resource and there is no direct opposition
Intra-specific competition
Occurs between members of the same species
Inter - specific competition
Occurs between members of different species
Parasitism
A relationship in which one organism called the parasite benefits from another , the host , while causing harm to it
Parasite
Living organisms that live on/in an organism causing it harm
Type of parasite
1.ectoparasite
Live outside an organism causing it harm (fleas on a dog
Type of parasite
2.endoparasute
Live inside an organism causing it harm (liver fluke in sheep)
How do parasites differ from predators??
Smaller
Often attack within
Predation
Capturing,killing and eating other organisms for food
Predator
Animal that catches,kills and eats other animals or food
Prey
Animals that are hunted, killed and eaten by predators
Symbiosis
When two organisms of different species live in close association where at least one of them benefits
Trophic
Feeding
