Ecosystems Flashcards
What are ecosystems made up of
Communities of organisms that interact with their environment
What is interdependence?
One species rely on each other to survive so changes to a population can have a effect on other species
What is an extremophile
Organisms who are adapted to live in extreme conditions
What do indviduals of The Same species that can breed together produce
Fertile offspring
Where do organisms live
Hábitats
What do you call individuals from one species living in the same habitat
Population
What do you call populations of all different species that share a habitat?
A community
What is an ecosystem affected by ?
Abiotic and biotic factors
Abiotic factors
Light intensity, temperature, moisture/water levels, pH of the soil, soil mineral levels, direction and intensity of the wind, levels of carbon dioxide and levels of oxygen
How does light intensity affect an ecosystem?
Increasing light intensity will increase the rate of photosynthesis in plants
How does temperature affect ecosystem?
Animals and plants grow the best at their optimum temperatures
How does moisture and water levels affect ecosystem?
Plants and animals require the correct amount of water
How does the pH of soil affect ecosystems?
Different plants will grow fast in different soil acidities
How does soil mineral levels affect the ecosystem?
Plants require lots of minerals to grow healthy
How does the direction and the intensity of the wind affect ecosystems?
Wind speed can affect transpiration and photosynthesis rates in plants. Organisms may also move to find shelter from the wind.
How do carbon dioxide levels affect ecosystems?
Plants need lots of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis
How do levels of oxygen affect ecosystem?
Some aquatic animals can only survive if there’s lots of oxygen dissolved in the water
Name biotic factors
Availability for food, introduction of new predators, introduction of new pathogens and competition
How does availability of food affect ecosystems?
Organisms require food to supply and reproduce. Population thrive when there is lots of food available.
How do new predators affect an ecosystem?
In balances communities, there is enough prey for the predators to feed on if new predators arrive this balance can be shifted and there may not be enough prey to go around
How do new pathogens affect an ecosystem?
Populations will have no immunity or resistance to new disease which can lead to an increase in death until resistance evolved
How does competition affect an ecosystem?
Different organisms need the same resources so if some organisms are better acquiring the shared resource they will outcompete the less adapted organism until there is no longer enough of them to breed.
What are structural adaptations?
Physical features
What are behavioural adaptations?
Adaptations that cause an organism to act/behave in a certain way
What are functional adaptations?
Processes that occur inside of an animals body
