ecosystems Flashcards
what is an ecosystem
all the biotic and abiotic parts of an area
what can the organisms in a ecosystem be classified into
- producer
- consumer
- decomposer
what is a producer
uses sunlight to produce food e.g grass
what is a consumer
gets its energy by consuming other organisms. they can eat producers or other consumers
what is a decomposer
a organism that gets its energy through breaking down dead material e.g dead consumers or dead producers
what are examples of decomposers
fungi and bacteria
what does the nutrient cycle show
how nutrients move through an ecosystem
what is the different steps in the nutrient cycle
- dead material decomposes returning nutrients to the soil
- nutrients taken up by plants which can be eaten by consumers
- when plants or consumers die the nutrients are returned back to the soil
what does a food chain show
what eats what
what does a food web show
shows lots of food chains and how they overlap
what is an example of a small scale ecosystem
slapton ley reed beds in devon
what is slapton ley
a freshwater laggon seperated by the sea by shingle
what is a food chain for slapton ley
common reed - moth larva - eel - bitten
what does it mean when a ecosystem in interdependant
all the components rely on one another
what happens if you change a compenent in a interdependent ecosystem
it will have a knock-on effect on other components
what are the seven major types of ecosystems
Tundra
Polar
Grasslands
Tropical rainforest
Temperate Deciduous forest
Boreal forest
Hot desert
where are tropical rain forests found
near the equator
where is tundra found
at high latitudes
what are the two types of grassland
temperate
savannah
where are savannah grasslands found
between the tropics
what are the charcteristics of savannah grasslands
distinct dry and wet season but rainfall is realitvily low
most vegitation is grasses with a few scattered trees
what are the characteristics of temperate savannahs
higher latitudes
more variation in temp
only grasses
what are the characteristics of temperate deciduous forests
found in mid latitudes
4 distinct seasons
deciduous trees loose leave sin winter to cope with cold
what are the charcteristics of hot deserts
north and south of equator
little rainfall
very hot during day
very cold at night
shurbs and cacti
what are the characteristics of boreal forests (taiga)
winter are cold and dry
summers are mild and mosit
trees are coniferous - evergreen and have needles
