ecosystems

Question 1

ecosystem

Answer 1

a community of animals, plants and bacteria, interrelated with the physical and chemical environment

Question 2

examples of ecosystem

Answer 2

rock pool
playing field
large tree
entire biosphere of earth
tiny colony of bacteria

Question 3

components of an ecosystem

Answer 3

habitat
population
community

Question 4

habitat

Answer 4

the place where an organism lives

Question 5

population

Answer 5

all of the organisms of one species who live in the same place at the same time

Question 6

community

Answer 6

all the populations of different species who live in the same place at the same time, and who can interact with each other

Question 7

niche

Answer 7

the role of each species in an ecosystem

impossible for two species to occupy exactly the same niche in the same ecosystem bc one would outcompete the other

Question 8

examples of niches

Answer 8

what it feeds on, what it excretes, how it reproduces

Question 9

competition

Answer 9

when two or more individual share a limited resource
the ‘struggle’ for resources

Question 10

intraspecific competition

Answer 10

competition between individuals in the same species

Question 11

interspecific competition

Answer 11

competition between different species

Question 12

examples of intraspecific competition

Answer 12

food
water
breeding sites
mates
*availability determines size of population

Question 13

examples of interspecific competition

Answer 13

food
water
breeding sites

Question 14

factors affecting ecosystems

Answer 14

abiotic
biotic

Question 15

abiotic factors

Answer 15

any physical/chemical factor that influences the populations
(extreme values –>, species may perform better/worse or even die)

Question 16

examples of abiotic factors

Answer 16

temperature
ph
light
availability of water
humidity
atmospheric composition
edaphic composition
radiation
salinity

Question 17

graph showing general effect of abiotic factor on organism activity

Answer 17

abiotic factor can be ph or any variable that has an optimum level and lethal levels are both extremes

Question 18

graph showing abiotic factors without lethal level at both extremes

Answer 18

Question 19

abiotic factor - light

Answer 19

greater light intensity = greater rate of photosynthesis, more seeds, higher population , more animal supported

Question 20

why is soil important for plants

Answer 20

provide minerals needed for growth
provides water
allows anchorage for roots

Question 21

biotic factors

Answer 21

anything that influences populations that is a result of another organism’s activity (whether it is currently living or has once lived)

Question 22

examples of biotic factors

Answer 22

predation
disease
competition for food. territory, breeding partners
pollination by insects
seed dispersal by insects

Question 23

adaptations to biotic factors

Answer 23

dancing before mating to ensure they are same species

Question 24

dynamic ecosystem

Answer 24

ecosystem that can change
non-living elements change and living grow and die, populations of species rising and falling

Question 25

types of changes in ecosystems that affect population size

Answer 25

cyclic change
directional change
unpredictable/erratic change

Question 26

cyclic change

Answer 26

repeat in a rhythm, e.g. tides. predator/prey fluctuations

Question 27

directional changes

Answer 27

go in one direction, long-lasting. e.g. erosion of a coastline

Question 28

unpredictable change

Answer 28

effects of lightning/hurricanes