Ecosystem Basics

Question 1

What is the definition of a habitat?

Answer 1

The place where an organism lives e.g a rock pool

Question 2

What is the definition of population?

Answer 2

All the organisms of one species in a habitat

Question 3

What is the definition of a producer?

Answer 3

An organism that produces organic molecules using sunlight energy e.g plants

Question 4

What is the definition of a consumer?

Answer 4

An organism that eats other organisms, e.g animals or birds

Question 5

What is the definition of a decomposer?

Answer 5

An organism that breaks down dead or undigested organic matter e.g bacteria or fungi

Question 6

What is the definition of a trophic level?

Answer 6

A stage in a food chain occupied a particular group of organisms, e.g producers are the first trophic level in a food chain

Question 7

What is the definition of an ecosystem?

Answer 7

All the organisms living in a certain area and all abiotic conditions found there. It’s a dynamic system (always changing)

Question 8

What are biotic factors? Give some examples

Answer 8

-The living features of an ecosystem
-e.g the presence of predators or food

Question 9

What are abiotic factors? Give some examples

Answer 9

-The non-living features of an ecosystem
-e.g the temperature, rainfall, soil nutrient availability

Question 10

For the ecosystem of a rock pool, explain how it is influenced by the different biotic and abiotic factors

Answer 10

Biotic factors:
-seaweed can be a food source for consumers such as limpets that graze on this producer
-intense competition for food can limit the number of organisms that are present in the small rock pool ecosystem

Abiotic factors:
-can be heavily influenced by tides, at high tide they are completely submerged by the ocean so experience similar abiotic factors as the ocean e.g pH, temperature
-at low tides they experience more extreme abiotic conditions e.g high salinity and temperatures, which only some organisms can tolerate