Ecosystems Flashcards
define ecosystem
a community of plants and animals interacting with each other and their physical environment.
define abiotic
non-living
define biotic
living
define microhabitat
a small scale system, E.g a tree
define biome
a global scale eco system. E.g a rainforest, desert
define biosphere
all of the world’s animals and plants and physical environment
producer
get energy from sunlight, photosynthesise
produces their own nutrients
consumer
eat producers and living organisms
decomposer
break down dead matter, return nutrients to the soil
give an example of a small-scale ecosystem in the UK and describe its location
epping forest
essex, north of London
key features of Epping forest
many tree species- oak,ash,elm
lower shrub layer- grasses, bracken
insects, mammals, birds
over 700 species of fungi
inter relationships in epping forest
summer:
- lots of sun and hot climate promotes plant growth, leaves grow bigger, larger surface area = more food for consumers
autumn:
-shorter daylight hours so trees shed leaves to conserve energy
winter:
-decomposers break down leaf litter and return nutrients to the soil
human impacts in epping forest
conservationists
visitors pick berries to disperse seeds
trees are coppiced to ensure straight timber growth
what affects locations of global ecosystems
latitude
proximity to seas and mountains
rainfall
savanna grassland
15-30 degrees north and south of equator
dry, few plants
diverse animals- elephants, lions
seasonal droughts, fires
moderate rainfall
East Africa
