Ecosystems Flashcards
what is an ecosystem
an ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms an their environment
define and name a producer
plants which use photosynthesis fo energy e.g. grass
define and name a consumer
consumers get there energy from the sugars produced by the producers. a pons snail is a good example of a consumer because it eats plants
define and name a decomposer
Decomposers break down plant and animal material and return the nutrients to the soil. Bacteria and fungi are good examples of decomposers
define food chain
a food chain shows the direct links (hence the term ‘chain’) between producers and consumers in the form of a simple line
define food web
a food web shows the interelationships between producers and consumers in a rather more complex way hence the term web rather than chain
define biotic and give an example
living e.g. plants
define abiotic and give an example
non living e.g. rocks
what is the small scale ecosystem called that we studied
epping forest
what are secondary consumers
secondary consumers eat the primary consumers and are non as carnivores
what causes change in an ecosystem
- humans
- illness/disease
- change in weather
- deforestation
where are tropical rainforests located
located between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of Capricorn
true or false?
in a rainforest there is a dry season
false there is no dry season
true or false?
there is a distinct wet season
true
although it does rain all throughout the year there is a distinct wet season which lasts about 6 months
what is the climate like throughout the year
hot and wet all throughout the year
why is rainfall so high in the rainforest
because of the global atmospheric circulation which causes an area of low pressure to form at the equator. the rising air creates clouds and triggers heavy rain
why do plants have shallow roots
because the nutrients are found at the surface of the soil
what is leaching
when heavy rainfall dissolves the nutrients. It leaves behind an infertile re, iron-rich soil called latosol
what is the simple rainforest nutrients cycle
~ litter ~ biomass ~ soil ~
what are the main components of a tropical rainforest
climate, soil, vegetation, animals
what does being interconnected mean
a change in one component can disrupt the balance in the whole system of components
what are the importance of drip tips
so that when there are very heavy rain patches, the water can slide of the leaf meaning it won’t snap in half
how are epithets adapted
instead of getting there nutrients from soil they have adapted to get from water and air. This is because they live high in the canopy in attempt to reach max sunlight
what are the significance of buttress roots
they are massive ridges which help support the base of the tall trees and help transport water. The nutrients aren’t deep into the soil and so the buttress root can suck up the nutrients
