Ecology - competition and independance Flashcards
what is the habitat?
the environment in which an organism lives
what is population?
total number of organisms of same species in the same geographical area
animals in african grassland?
elephants, zebras, giraffes. species of insects + fungi + bacteria
what is a community?
the populations of all the different species that live in the same habitat
what is the biotic part of the environment?
living orgamisms
what is the abiotic part of environment?
non-living parts e.g water and minerals
what is an ecosystem?
both biotic and the abiotic parts of an environment and how they interact
what do living organisms require?
a supply of materials from their surroundings eg water.
also get materials from other living organisms eg plants
why do living organisms have to compete?
can be a short supply of food etc
what are the resources that organisms compete for?
- plants compete with each other for light, space, water and mineral ions in soil
- animals compete with each other for food and water for mating partners and territory
what is interdependence?
where living organisms depend on each other. each animals depend on other organisms for food. e.g eating each other or plants. some living organisms provide shelter eg trees sheltered animals for sun
what can plants depend on?
animals. for example, many plants depend on bees to spread their pollen or birds which can disperse seeds in their faeces
what can happen if a species disappears from a community?
can affect it.
for example, without bees, plants won’t be pollinated + won’t reproduce. animals that feed on these plants could then run out of food and their populations can fall
what is a stable community?
the populations of organisms are in balance with each other and with abiotic resources e.g water
