ecosystems Flashcards
what is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is the interacting system in which living organisms interact with non-living physical environment.
what are the abiotic factors of an ecosystem?
-inorganic substances: nutrients such as carbon di oxide, oxygen, nitrogen, water and all the other minerals.
-organic compounds: proteins carbs, fat. thee are present in living organisms and link the abiotic compounds and the biotic compounds
-climatic factors:
-atmospheric factors:temp, rainfall, light, humidity
- edaphic factors: soil
what is a food chain
a food chain is a diagram or a chain showing what animals eat or chain showing the process of eating and eaten.
what is a food web
the network of interconnected food chains is known as the food webs
what are trophic levels
the various links or steps representing organisms in a food chain at which the transfer of food takes place are called trophic levels
what is an ecological pyramid
an ecological pyramid is a graphic representation of an ecological parameter like number of individuals biomass or energy present at various trophic levels of a food chain.
what are three aspects of an ecological pyramid
-number of individuals
-amount of biomass
-amount of energy
what is atmosphere
the envelope of air that surrounds the Earth is called atmosphere
name the layers of the atmosphere in order
-troposphere
-stratosphere
-mesosphere
-thermosphere
describe the stratosphere
10-60km an be 80km
-density is less than troposphere
-temp increases with height -55c to 0
-contains ozone layer that traps harmful UV rays
UV rays can cause cataract cancer inflammatory diseases
describe the troposphere
-upto 10km
-highest density
-temp decreases with height +15c to -55c
-has most atmospheric air
describe the mesosphere
-60-100km
-low density
-deceases with height 0-90c
-protects earth from rocky celestial masses
describe the thermosphere
-100+km
-extremely ow density
-increses wth height
-90c to 300c
what is wind
air in motion
what happens in the absence of wind
a layer of smoke
what happens in the wonter
smoke combines with fog to form smog that causes eye irritation headache
what is weather
daily phenomenon of temp clouds rainfall and sunlight
what is climate
climate is determind by observing the weather of place over a long period of time
what is symbiosis
it is the living together of two or more organisms of different species in an intimate association in which both partners benefitted.
eg: lichens algae and fungi algae provides food and fungi provides shelter
what is paratism
a relationship between two living organisms where one organism benefits at the expense of another
what is statification
the vertical distribution of liing organisms in different layers
what is a food chain
food chain is a chronological pathway or an order that shows the flow of energy from one
organism to the other.In a community which has producers, consumers, and decomposers, the
energy flows in a specific pathway.
