Ecosystems Flashcards
Define abiotic
Physical and chemical components that effect the environment
Define biotic
All the living organisms
Define biome
A group of ecosystems around the world with similar abiotic factors
How much of the earth is land and how much is water?
Terrestrial-35%
Aquatic-65%
What are producers?
Autotrophs that produce their own food
What are consumers?
Heterotrophs that eat for their energy
In a food chain where do the arrows point to?
Where the energy goes
How much energy of food goes to an organisms growth?
10-20%
How much energy food is lost to an organisms heat?
40%
How much energy from food is not digested?
40%
How much energy do you gain from eating something?
10% of it
How much energy from food is lost at each trophic level?
90%
What are trophic level
The hierarchy of an ecosystem, producers is the 1st tropic level, primary consumer is the second level etc
What is biomass?
Total dry weight, the amount of energy an organism gains from consuming something
What is predation?
When one organism kills and eats another
What is allelopathy?
When a plant/tree releases a chemical to inhibit the growth of other plants
What is Parasitism?
When one organism lives on or in another and causes harm
What is commensalism?
When an organism lives on or in another and doesn’t effect it
What is mutualism?
When one organism interacts with another to benefit bith
What is common living?
When animals live together to better deceive predators, warn of dangers and have safety in numbers
What are decomposers
Detriovours feed on dead organic matter(detritus). They break this organic matter down into smaller organic molecules that can be recycled into the soil.
What is competition?
Where two different organisms rely on the same resource
Define ecosystem
A result of the interactions between abiotic and biotic factors in the environment
What do plants and animals use nitrogen for?
The production of amino acids, proteins and nucleic acids
What are the five forms nitrogen is found in in nature
Atmospheric nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, urea and other organic nitrogen (eg, amino acids)
What is the sign and use of atmospheric nitrogen
N2 it makes up 70% of the atmospher
What is sign and use of nitrate?
NO3 and it’s used by some plants
What is the sign and use of ammonium?
NH4 and used by some plants
What converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium?
Nitrogen fixing bacteria in the soil
Where are nitrogen fixing bacteria found?
They can be loose in the soil or in the nodules of legumes
How is ammonium turned into nitrate?
By nitrifying bacteria
How are nitrates turned into other nitrogenous compounds?
Plants convert them into amino acids and proteins, which are then eaten by animals and cycled through the food chain
How do nitrogenous compounds turn into ammonium?
Detritivores break down dead animals and plants releasing ammonium
How do nitrates turn into atmospheric nitrogen
De-nitrifying bacteria convert it
Name three ways Aboriginals conserved/sustained the environment
Fire, varied diet and they wouldn’t kill small/female animals
