Ecosystem And Material cycles Flashcards
Population
Group of individuals of the same species
Community
When several populations of a different species across all kingdoms live in a habitat
Habitat
Is a place where an organism lives
Ecosystem
When communities interact with each other (biotic) as well as the environment (abiotic)
Biotic
Living components in an ecosystem
Abiotic
Non-living conditions that can influence where plants or non animals live
Abundance
A measure of how common something is
Community
All the different organisms living and interacting with one another in a particular area
Food web
A diagram of interlinked food chains. It shows how the feeding relationships in a community are interdependent
Habitat
The place in which an organism lives
Interdependent
When organisms in an area need each other for resources
Quadrat
A square frame of known area that is placed on the ground to get a sample of the organisms living in a small area
Resources
Something and organism needs to stay alive
Sample
A small portion of an area or population
Adaptation
The features of an organism that enable it to do a certain function
Belt transect
A line in an environment along which samples are taken to measure the effect of an abiotic factor on the distribution of organisms
Distribution
The place in which a certain organism can be found in a na area
Pollutant
A substance that harms living organisms when released into the environment
Biodiversity
The variety of a species in an area
Compete
When organisms interact to get a limited resource that they need
Competition
When organisms need the same resource as each other so struggle against each other to get them.
Predation
When one animal species kills and eats another animal species
Predator prey cycle
The regular variation in numbers of predators and number of prey within a feeding relationship.
Host
An individual that can be infected by a certain pathogen
Mutualism
A relationship between individuals of different species where both individuals benefit
Parasite
An organism that lives in or on a host and takes food from it whilst it’s alive
Parasitism
A feeding relationship in which a parasite benefits and the host is harmed
Eutrophication
The addition of more nutrients to an ecosystem than it normally has
Fish farming
Growing fish in a contained area, usually to supply humans with food
Indigenous
Organisms that have always been in an area
Non-indigenous
Organisms that have been introduced to an area where they haven’t been before
Overfishing
Taking more fish from a population than are replaced by the fish reproducing so that the population number falls each year
Captivity
Keeping something in an unnatural surrounding
Conservation
The protection of an area or species to prevent damages
Endangered
An area or species that is in great rick of destruction
Reforestation
Planting new forests where old trees have been cut down
Desalination
A process that produces fresh drinking water by separating the water from the salts in salty water
Distillation
The process of separating a liquid from a mixture by evaporating a liquid and then condensing it
Potable
Suitable for drinking
Water cycle
A sequence of processes by which water removes through abiotic and biotic parts of an ecosystem
Biomass
The total mass in living organisms, usually shown as the mass after drying
Carbon cycle
A sequence of process which by carbon moves from the atmosphere, through living and dead organisms, and into sediments and unto the atmosphere again
Decay
A process in which complex substances in dead plant and animal biomass is broken down by decomposes into simple substances
Decomposer
An organism that feeds on dead material, causing decay
Fossil fuel
A fuel formed from the dead remains of animals over millions of years
Crop rotation
Where a different crop is planted in the same field each year over a 3- or 4- years which helps control the build up of soil pests for each crop
Nitrogen cycle
A sequence of processes by which nitrogen moves from the atmosphere through living and dead organisms, into the soil and back to the atmosphere
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Bacteria that can take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into more complex nitrogen compounds such as ammonia
