Ecosystems Flashcards
Define Ecosystem
A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment
Define Biome
a very large ecosystem found on a regional scale e.g tropical rainforests
They are characterized by similar flora fauna and climates.
Define nutrient cycling
A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water before passing them on to the food chain and ultimately back to soil + water
Biotic factors (living)
Bacteria, Plankton, Fungi, Insects, Predation, Human activity, Disease, Mammals
Abiotic Factors (non-living)
Sunlight, soil pH, soil moisture, heat, shade
Define micro-habitat
A very small scale system where organisms interact within their environment e.g a tree or your intestines
Outline differences between foodchain and food web
Food chain -> linear flow of nutrients, from organism to organism, only one organism from each trophic level
Food Webb -> multitude of interconnected food chains with lots of organisms from the same trophic levels, more accurately shows food chains in ecosystem
Define Biosphere
all living organisms in the world and their physical environment
small scale ecosystem example
Reigate Heath, Surrey
what is an interrelationship
a species dependency on another in their environment
Reigate Heath secondary consumers
Birds e.g Dartford Warbler feeds on insects
Small mammals e.g weasel preys on rabbits and rodents
Reigate Heath producers
Heather (thrives in acidic nutrient poor soil + provides food for many species)
Gorse (key shrub offering shelter + food for insects and birds)
Reigate Heath primary consumers
Rabbits, various insect species e.g butterfly silver-studded Blue
Reigate heath tertiary consumer
Bird e.g Kestrel hunting small mammals
Reigate Heath Decomposers
Fungi (various species decompose leaf litter and dead wood, releasing nutrients back into soil)
Bacteria (facilitating nutrient recycling)
Detritivores (insects such as beetles and worms that feed on decomposing plant/animal material)
what nutrients are released into soil by decomposition
nitrogen and phosphorous
How does human activity affect Reigate Heath ecosystem
Golf course = humans trample ground = becomes uneven/infertile
Car Park = car fumes cause air pollution
Pond/lakes become littered
News roads/houses built ruin habitats for insects and animals
2 main sources of nutrients in ecosystem
- rainwater washes chemicals out of atmosphere
- weathered rock releases nutrients in soil
what 2 things make up nutrient cycle
stores and flows
What is the nutrient cycle
Nutrient stores fallout of dying tissue in biomass (living organisms e.g plants/animals)
|
v
Dead plant/animals material on forest floor (litter) is decomposed and releases nutrients into soil
|
v
Soil becomes fertile causing rapid vegetation growth as they are up taken by plants
why does soil profile vary biome to biome
they reflect the climate, vegetation, and biome in which they are found in
explain the balance of components in ecosystem
If there is change in one component = knock on effects for whole web e.g reduction of food available for larger consumers = overconsumption of other food resources.
what are biomes
areas classified according to the species that live in that location
factors that influence the distribution of biomes
temperature range, soil type, amount of sunlight
