Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
The study of the interactions of living organisms with each other and their environment.
Ecosystem
A community of organisms that interact with their environment eg. Rainforest - Amazon, SA.
Biosphere
A region of the earth where life exists.
Habitat
A place where an organism lives.
What is an abiotic factor and what are the two types?
- Anything that is non-living and that has an effect on living organisms in an ecosystem.
1. Climatic factors: The weather conditions that effect organisms.
2. Edaphic factors: Anything relating to the soil or geology of the land that has an effect on living organisms.
Biotic factor
Anything that is living and has an effect on other living organisms.
Pathogenic
Capable of causing disease
A grazing food chain
Shows the sequence of organisms with one species at each trophic level.
A food web
Two or more interconnected food chains.
What is an ecological pyramid of numbers and what are the three types?
- Shows the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain.
1. Upright pyramid of numbers
2. Partially upright pyramid of numbers
3. Inverted pyramid of numbers
Niche
The functional role an organism plays in its habitat.
Population
A group of organisms living in a habitat that belong to the same species.
Community
A group of organisms living in a habitat that belong to many different species.
Competition
The struggle between organisms for a resource that is in limited supply.
Resource
A resource is a stock/supply, such as food, that can be drawn on.
Contest competition
The direct fight between two organisms for a resource that is in short supply.
Scramble competition
The struggle amongst a number of organisms for a resource that is in short supply. Each organism receives a small share of the resource.
Symbiosis
A biological relationship in which two organisms live in close proximity to each other and regularly interact, in such a way as to benefit one or both of the organisms.
Parasitism
Where one organism, called the parasite, lives in or on another organism, called the host, and causes harm to the host, eg. Aphids or athlete’s foot.
Nutrient recycling
The process of exchanging important elements between living organisms and their environment.
Carbon cycle
The process through which elemental carbon is exchanged (in the form of biomolecules) between living organisms and the environment.
Nitrogen cycle
The process through which elements nitrogen is exchanged (in the form of biomolecules) between living organisms and the environment.
Crop rotation
Growing different types of crops over different seasons of the year to help maintain nutrients in the soil.
Pollution
Any harmful addition to the environment.
