Ecosystems Flashcards
Abiotic factor
A non-living factor of the environment
Adaptation
Any feature that assists an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment
Biodiversity
The range of different species in a community
Biological control
The use of a natural enemy of a pest to control numbers of that pest
biotic factor
a living factor of the environment
chemical pollution
chemicals escaping into the environment that can damage ecosystems
commenalism
a relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
community
all the living organisms in an ecosystem
competition
a relationship between organisms that are trying to use the same limited resource
consumer
an organism in a food chain that feeds on other organisms
decomposers
organisms that break down the bodies of dead organisms and animal wastes and recycle material by secreting enzymes
ecology
the study of how organisms react with each other and their non-living surroundings
ecosystem
a place where organisms and their physical surroundings create an environment that is different from others nearby
ectothermic
animals that obtain body heat from outside their body
endothermic
animals that can generate body heat internally
environment
all the factors in an organisms surroundings that affect its survival
epicormic growth
growth of new shoots from the stems of trees and shrubs after fires
feral animal
an introduced species of an animal that has been established in the wild
firestick farming
fires were deliberately lit at certain times of the year to create conditions suited to plant regrowth
flood
an event where water covers the land and does not soak in for a long time
food chain
a sequence of organisms feeding on each other
food web
connected food chains showing who eats whom in a community
global warming
the increase in temperature of earth’s atmosphere
habitat destruction
damage caused to the factors in the environment needed for survival
insecticides
chemicals that kill insects
interdependence
relationship between organisms, where each affects the other’s survival
introduced species
species not native to australia
lignotuber
a swollen underground stem of eucalypts that can resist fire
mallee
a type of eucalypt that has lignotubers
mutualism
a relationship in which both organisms benefit
overcropping
killing more animals than can be replaced by the breeding cycle
parasitism
relationship where one organism lives on another and feeds off it. one benefits and one is harmed
photosynthesis
the process by which plants make food
predatation
relationship where one organism kills and eats another
producers
organisms that make food for the community
productivity
how well an area supports life
pyramid of energy
a diagram that shows the energy in the food materials at each level in the food chain
sustainability
an ecosystem has the ability to maintain suitable living conditions for the community
What benefit does water give in an environment?
Buoyancy, solvent for materials in cells and allows movement of chemicals for chemical reactions
What does temperature do in an environment?
Affects speed of chemical reactions
Explain oxygen levels in water
more in cold, more in faster moving, less in depths so fish move slower
detritivores
Animals that ingest detritus and in the process break up organic matter into smaller pieces
Benefits of biodiversity
More likely to be sustainable,less affected by environmental changes and introduced species
4 reasons to protect ecosystems
cultural value, economics, survival, compassion
Habitat destruction
Damage done to the environmental aspects that an organism depends on for survival
Ecosystem diversity
The amount of different natural ecosystems in a region
species diversity
the amount of different species in an ecosystem
genetic diversity
the amount of different alleles within a single species and the characteristics that they produce
biomass
total dry weight of biological material in the community
What are the 2 main fire regimes?
cool fires(traditional) and hot fires
What is prescribed burning?
Similar to the traditional regime, cool fires lit every 4-6 years to protect homes in fire prone areas and reduce leaf litter to prevent hot fires
What adaptations do australian plants have to fire?
grass trees flower after fire through release of acetylene gas, thick bark on eucalypts, banksia, hakea and acaica,eucalypts have epicormic buds, bansias and hakeas have seeds that germinate in fertile ash, mallees have lignotubers.
