Ecology Flashcards
Species
Organisms that are the same species can breed together to produce fertile offspring.
Habitat
The place where an organism lives.
Community
A collection of plants and animals that share a habitat.
Population
The number of organisms of a certain species living in a habitat.
Competition
A situation where different organisms require the same resources.
Interdependence
A word that describes how organisms rely on each other.
What is an abiotic factor?
Non-living factors that affect organisms and so, affect communities.
What is a biotic factor?
Living factors that affect organisms and so, affect communities.
Name biotic factors, there are 4 notable ones.
Availability of food
New pathogens/parasites
New predators arriving
Interspecific competition (competition between species)
Name abiotic factors, there are 7 notable ones.
Light intensity Temperature Moisture levels Soil pH and mineral content Wind intensity and direction Availability of oxygen Availability of carbon dioxide
What is a quadrat?
A square frame acting as a sample area, used to investigate the size of a population of plants.
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is the interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment.
What is the mean of a set of results?
The sum of the results divided by the number of results.
What is quantitive sampling?
Taking several random readings and then finding the mean number of organisms per m².
What is a transect?
A tape across two points, and you measure distribution by sampling along a transect.
