Ecosystems Flashcards
Define biotic
A living resource
Define the Gerscha Model
The transfer of nutrients between the living and non-living parts of an ecosystem
Define ecosystem
A community of interacting organisms and their physical environments
Define leaching
The washing away of nutrients downwards into the soil and rock
Define biomass
The overall number/ quantity of organisms in an area
Define shrub layer
The main layer of the tropical rainforest
Define buttress roots
The large roots at the base of a tree that keeps it anchored up right
Define drip tip leaves
Pointed ends to leaves which means water runs off quickly, preventing algae and moss growing
Define decomposition
When living matter rots and breaks down
Define food web
Who eats who in an ecosystem
Define camouflage
Changes to an animals appearance so that it blends in with the background
Define non- native
Not native to a particular place
Define afforestation
Planting trees on land that didn’t have trees there beforehand
Define biodiversity
A range in organic species - plants and animals
Define eutrophication
The richness in water sources causing dense plantlife
Define structure
The division of a forest into a number of distinct layers
Define abiotic
A Non living resource
Define climate
Weather conditions of an area
Define a good
Physical things which can be obtained from an ecosystem eg timber
Define a service
Intangible things that are supplied by an ecosystem, eg recreation and tourism
Define litter
Leaves, twigs, and other dead organic matter that falls onto the surface of the soil
Define hydrosphere
All water on earth
Define lithosphere
Rigid outer part of earth, rust and upper mantle
Define deforestation
The permanent removal of large areas of forest so that it can be used for something else
Define producer
Plants that produce energy via photosynthesis
Define carnivore
Animals that eat other animals
Define primary consumer
Eats the producer
Define secondary consumer
Eats the primary consumer and maybe producers.
Define predators
Eat the prey
Define deciduous
Trees that shed their leaves each year to cope with reductions in light and temperatures
Define conifers
Trees that have needles, rather than leaves, which they shed throughout the year
Define tree-crop
A type of cultivation where a few trees are cut down, undergrowth burnt and crops planted
Define moorland
Rough grassland and bogs In upland areas of the Uk
Define headlands
Lowland areas which have dry sandy soils with depressions that are peaty and boggy
Define wetland
Waterlogged areas in lowland UK often drained for farmland eg The Fens
Define woodland
Areas of deciduous trees, native to the UK, and conifer plantations that are non-native,
