Ecology Chp4,5,6 Flashcards
What is ecology
the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment
What is the biosphere
the part of the planet containing living organisms
What is an ecosystem
a group of clearly distinguished organisms that interact with their environment as a unit
What is a habitat
the place where a plant or animal live
What is the population
all the members of the same species living in an area
What is a community
all the different populations in an area
What is an abiotic factor
non-living factors, e.g. temp, light intensity, PH
What is a biotic factor
living factors, e.g. food, competition, predation
What are climatic factors
weather over long periods of time
What are edaphic factors
soil factors
What is a producer
organisms that carry out photosynthesis/ make own food
What is a consumer
organisms that take food from another organism
Flora
all the plants in an ecosystem
Fuana
all the animals in an ecosystem
What are decomposers
organisms that feed on dead organic matter
What are detritus feeders
organisms that feed on small pieces of dead organic matter
What is a food chain
a sequence of organisms in which each one is eaten by the next member in the chain
What is a trophic level
a feeding stage in a food chain
What is a food web
two or more interlinked food chains
Example of grassland food chain
Buttercup, caterpillar, blackbird, fox
What is a pyramid of numbers
represents the number of organisms at each trophic level
Limitation of a pyramid of numbers
doesn’t account for the size of the organism
E.g. of normal pyramid of numbers
hawk, thrush, caterpillar, buttercup
E.g. of inverted pyramid of numbers
mites, greenfly, rose bush
