Ecology Flashcards
Ecosystem
community of organisms & habitat in which it lives
Community
all populations of different species which interact together in same habitat
Habitat
area in which an organism lives
Biodiversity
number of different species in a community
Herbivore
only eats plants
Predator
animal that hunts & kills other animals
Population
all members of single species which live in a single area
Carnivore
only eats animals
Omnivore
eats both plants & animals
Prey
animal that is hunted & eaten by a predator
What is a pyramid of numbers?
- show population size at each trophic level
- not always pyramid shape
What is a pyramid of biomass?
- represent amount of biomass at each trophic level
- always pyramid shape - only 10% is passed on
Why is only 10% of biomass passed on to the next trophic level?
- not all organism is eaten (bones)
- not all of organism is digested (some is excreted as faeces)
- used for respiration, to generate energy for active transport, maintain body temp. & other body processes
What are some abiotic factors?
temp.
amount of rainfall
acidity of salt
What are some biotic factors?
disease
food availability
predation
What do food webs show?
interaction of multiple interconnected food chains within an ecosystem
What do decomposers do?
secrete digestive enzymes onto dead organisms, converts into simple substances absorbed by plants, recycling nutrients within an ecosystem
What is the order for a food chain?
producer
primary consumer
secondary consumer
tertiary consumer
Where does the energy start in a food chain?
at the sun, it’s then converted into glucose by photosynthesis
