Ecosystems Flashcards
It is the study of interactions between individual organisms and their environment
Ecology
What year and who created the word ecology
Ernst Haeckel, 1869
It is the study of the individual organism or an individual species and its population, also called “species ecology”
Autecology
It is the study of groups of organisms which are associated together as a unit, also called “ecology of communities”
Synecology
It relates organism with various groups of organisms and their inter-relationship
Population Ecology
It deals with the genetic make-up of species in relation to the environment
Gene Ecology
It includes ecology and taxonomic groups as microbial ecology
Taxonomic Ecology
It is the study of organisms and interactions in the water
Aquatic Ecology
It includes ocean, deep sea, estuary
Marine Water Ecology
It includes lectic or running water (river, stream, spring) and lentic or standing water (pond and lake)
Freshwater Ecology
It is the study of organisms and interactions in the land
Terrestrial Ecology
Examples of Terrestrial Ecology:
Dessert Ecology
Forrest Ecology
Grassland Ecology
Examples of animals in the Aquatic Ecology:
Shellfish
Shark
Turtles
Blue whale
Plankton
Corals
Examples of animals in the Fresh Water Ecology:
Snails
Worms
Turtles
Frogs
Alligators
Beavers
Otters
Snakes
Examples of animals in the Grass Land Ecology:
Elephants
Bison
Cheetahs
Gazelles
Lions
Tigers
Examples of animals in the Forest Ecology:
Foxes
Monkeys
Sloth
Black Bear
Dear
Eagle
Capybara
Examples of animals in the Desert Ecology:
Camel
Meerkat
Vultures
Scorpions
Rattlesnake
Four Importance of Ecology:
Conservation of Environment
Resource Allocation
Energy Conservation
Eco-Friendliness
Who proposed the word Ecosystem and in what year
Arthur George Tansley, 1935
It is a structural and functional unit where the living organisms interact with each other
Ecosystem
What are the two main components of the Ecosystem:
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
It is the living factor of an ecosystem
Biotic Factors
Example of Biotic Factors:
Bacteria
Fungi
Plants
Animals
It is the non-living chemical and physical factors of an ecosystem
Abiotic Factors
Examples of Abiotic Factors:
Sunlight
Soil
Air
Moisture
Minerals
What are the three types of biotic factors
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
Type of biotic factor that produces food themselves
Producers
Type of biotic factor that gets food by feeding on other organisms
Consumers
What are the four types of consumers:
Herbivores (Plants)
Carnivores (Meat)
Omnivores (Plants & Meat)
Detritivores (Dead Organisms)
Examples of Detritivores:
Earthworms
Millipedes
Dung beetles
Crabs
Sea cucumbers
Examples of Producers:
Plants
Trees
Type of biotic factor that acquires nutrition from breaking down organic matter into organic compounds
Decomposers
Examples of Decomposers:
Fungi
Insects
Earthworms
Bacteria
Snails
Examples of Abiotic Physical Components:
Sunlight
Solar Intensity
Rainfall
Temperature
Wind speed
Water availability
Soil Texture
Examples of Abiotic Chemical Components:
Major Essential Nutrients:
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Micronutrients:
Iron
Zinc
Copper
Salt
Toxic Substances:
Pesticide
Examples of Limiting Factors:
Competitors
Disease and Parasites
Fires
Available Habitat
Predators
It is the Maximum number of Individuals of a species that an ecosystem can support
Carrying Capacity
What are the Five types of Interactions between organisms:
Competition & Predation
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
Amensalism
Type of interaction where one entity hunts another animal to suffice its nutritional requirements
Competition & Predation
Type of interaction where one entity benefits while the other is neither harmed nor benefited
Commensalism
Type of interaction when one entity benefits from other entities which is harmed, but not necessarily killed
Parasitism
Type of interaction where both species involved in the interaction are benefited
Mutualism
Type of interaction where one population finds itself in danger the other population is not majorly affected
Amensalism
Examples of Competition and Predation
Predation:
Snake and Rats
Orca and Seals
Competition:
Lions and Vultures
Competition and Predation:
Cheetah
Lion
Examples of Commensalism:
Orchids growing in Branches
Whales and Barnacles
Sharks and Remora/Sucker Fish
Examples of Parasitism:
Fungi
Leeches
Tapeworm
Fleas
Lice
Examples of Mutualism:
Sea Anemones and Clownfish
Flowers and Bees
Humans and Bacteria
Examples of Amensalism:
Animal Stampede over a Field of Plants
Grazing Cattle and Insects
Is the ultimate source of energy
Sun
It utilizes the sun’s energy
Plants
It is passed from producer to different consumers
Energy
Food Chain Cycle:
Sunlight - Producers - Primary consumers - Secondary consumers - Tertiary Consumers
Examples of Primary Consumers:
Insects
Mice
Cows
Horses
Butterflies
Hare
Examples of Secondary Consumers:
Dogs
Cats
Owls
Foxes
Snakes
Sardines
Clown Fish
Examples of Tertiary Consumers:
Tuna
Sharks
Lions
Hawks
Foxes
Eagles
It is a network of interconnected food chains, it comprises of all the food chains in a single ecosystem
Food Web
It is the primary producer in the marine environment
Phytoplankton
Functions of the Ecosystem:
Supports life systems
Regulates ecological processes
Cycles nutrients
Cycles minerals through the biosphere
Exchange of Energy
Synthesis of Organic Components
