Ecology Flashcards
Environment
Is everything that surrounds an animal or plant ( for example air,water,rocks and soil.
Habitat
Is the place were a plant or animal lives.
Interdependence
Is how organisms depend on eachother for their survival.(BUTTERCUPS DEPEND ON BEES,BEES NEED BUTTERCUPS!).
Ecosystem
All the plants and animals in an area interacting with each other and their environment E.G desert,tropical rainforest,grassland,seashore Ect.
Producer
Plants that make their own food e.g grass,dandelion,nettles.
Consumer
Animals that get their food by eating plants or other animals.
Herbivore
An animal that eats plants only e.g rabbit sheep.
Carnivore
An animal that eats other animals only e.g fox,hawk.
Omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and animals e.g badger and humans.
Decomposer
Organisms that feed on dead plants and animals e.g earthworms,bacteria,fungi.
Ecology
Is the study of plants,animals and their environment ,and the relationship between them.
Energy
The energy in any food chain comes from the sun.
Food web
A food web is two or more interconnected food chains.
Competition
Occurs when two or more organisms seek that is limited.
Plants compete for
Light,water,minerals and space.
Animals compete for
Food,shelter,territory and mates.
Adaptation
Are features that give an organism a better chance of surviving in their habitat.
Dandelion adaptations
Long roots to get water, competes for space to get water.
Hedgehog adaptations
Excellent science of smell to make them good at finding food,
Spikes to fight off predetors,
And they can camouflage.
Conservation and pollution
Conservation is the protection,preservation and carful use of natural resources.
Pollution
Is adding unwanted wastes to the environment causing damage to it.
If one organism is damaged it can be harmful to many other plants and animals.
Air pollution
Caused by smoke,dust and harmful gases- most of these come from cars,buses,factories and power stations.
Acid rain
When fossil fuels are burned they produce gases called carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide,these dissolve into rain water to form carbonic acid. This acid rain damages plants and buildings.
Soil pollution
Caused by pesticides,artificial fertilisers and acid rain. Chemicals sink into the soil and can be absorbed by plants, if it gets passed up through the food chain it can cause illness.
Water pollution
Rivers,lakes and seas are polluted by fertilisers,sewage,oil and detergents,they cause too much plant growth,bacteria populations boom as they feed an dead plants and oxygen is left for fish.
Incineration
Burning the waste this can realise dangerous gases into the atmosphere.difficulties with location nobody wants to live near an incinerator.
Landfill
Burying the waste in the ground-damages soil,rivers and ground water,attracts rodents,disease causing,bad smell,difficulties because nobody wants to live beside one.
3 R’s
Reduce Reuse Recycle
