Ecosystems Flashcards
What are the four spheres of the Earth and what do they represent?
The four spheres of the earth are: Atmosphere-air Lithosphere - land and rocks Hydrosphere - water Biosphere - living organisms
What is a carnivore?
Carnivores are organisms that only eat other consumers.
What is a herbivore?
Herbivores are first-order consumers that only eat plants or other producers.
What is an omnivore?
Omnivores are consumers that eat both plants and other animals.
What is an autotrophic?
Autotrophic is a term referring to an organism that can make their own food, like plants.
What is a biotic factor?
Biotic factors are all of the living organisms in an ecosystem such as animals and plants.
What is an abiotic factor?
An abiotic factor is the physical, non-living conditions such as sunlight, water and weather. The Abiotic factors and the biotic factors interact with each other. The ways in which an animal finds a mate is an abiotic factor.
How is the biosphere important in the water cycle?
The biosphere is important in the water cycle because the living organisms in the biosphere help to regenerate the water in the cycle, for example the trees soak up the water from the ground and let it off as a gas which then soaks up into the clouds to rain again and go back into the soil.
Why do humans rely on the ecosystems for their survival?
Humans rely on the ecosystems with plants and animals to supply them oxygen, food, water and the basic necessities of life. Without ecosystems humans would not survive.
What is respiration in plants?
Respiration is the process in living organisms involving the production of energy and the intake of oxygen and food.
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a kingdom of life where organisms interact with each other and their environments.
Why is a food web a more accurate representation of the ecosystem compared to a food chain?
A food web is a lot more accurate as it shows the diverse feeding relationships between multiple organisms in an ecosystem. Compared to a food chain which shows a single feeding relationship between a group of organisms.
What are the four spheres?
Atmosphere, Biosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere
What is the order of the food chain?
The producer ➡️ Herbivore (first order consumer) ➡️ Carnivore (second order consumer) ➡️ Top predator (third order consumer) ➡️ Detritivore (fourth order consumer).
What is an autotroph?
An autotroph is a living organism that can create its own food. An example of this is a eucalyptus tree using the process of photosynthesis to create its own sugars.
