Ecosystems Flashcards
Sustainability
the resources of nature are being renewed at least as quickly as they are used
Ecological footprint
how much of an impact a person has on the environment with their lifestyle choices
what materials that you use contribute to calculating your ecological footprint?
food, water, supplies to build shelters
what are the three r’s?
Reduce, reuse, recycle
biotic
two living parts of an ecosystem interacting in an environment
what is an example of a biotic relationship?
a lynx and a hare
What are abiotic parts of an ecosystem?
air, water and soil
An abiotic relationship would be
How a rabbit’s fur turns white in the winter to blend in with the snow
Niche
organisms in an ecosystem play different roles
What kind of niche do plants and algae full?
Producers
Producers
organisms make food energy for themselves
Consumers
niche is to consume food made by producers
What are the three niches in an ecosystem
Producer, consumer, decomposer
Herbivores
animals that eat producers and fill the plant eating niche
Carnivores
animals that eat other consumers, filling the meat eating niche
Predators
consumers that kill and eat other animals called prey
omnivores
animals that eat both producers and consumers
food chain
a model that shows how energy stored in food passes from organism to organisms
energy flow
the movement of energy, starting from the sun and passing from one organism to the next
food web
network of interconnected food chains
pyramid of numbers
shows the number of organisms involved in a food chain
biomass
the total mass of all organisms in an ecosystem
Scavengers
organisms that feed on dead or decaying plant or animal matter
decomposers
a different kind of scavenger that grows on or in dead or waste material. They absorb some of the nutrients into their own cells and the remaining nutrients recycle back into the ecosystem
