Ecosystems CB9 Flashcards
What is an abiotic factor?
Non living factors that effect distribution
Examples of abiotic factors
Light Temperature Pollution Wind Rainfall
Individual
A single organism
Population
All organisms of one species in a habitat
Community
All the organisms of different species living in a habitat
Ecosystem
A community of organisms along with all the non living - abiotic- conditions
How does temperature affect communities?
The distribution of bird species living in Germany is probably changing because of a rise in temp
How does the amount of water affect communities?
Daisies grow best in soils that are slightly damp
If the soil becomes waterlogged or too dry
How does light intensity affect communities?
As trees grow and provide more shade, grasses may be replaced by fungi which are better to cope with the lower light intensity
How does levels of pollutants affect communities?
Lichen are unable to survive if the concentration of soulful dioxide is too high
How does competition affect communities?
Organisms compete with other species for the sane resources
How does predation affect communities?
If the number of lions decreases then the number of gazelles might increase because fewer of them will be eaten by lions
What is interdependence of species?
When organisms depend on each other for shelter, food in order to survive and reproduce
A change in the population of ones species can have knock on effects for other species
What is mutualism?
A relationship between two organisms, from which both organisms benefit
Example of mutualism
Bees and flowering plants
When bees visit flowers to get nectar, pollen is transferred to their bodies, the bees then spread the pollen to other plants when they land on their flowers - bees get food, plants get help reproducing
What are parasites?
The parasite takes what it needs to survive but the host doesn’t benefit
Example of parasite
Fleas of mammals such as dogs, flees feed in their hosts blood
What is fish farming?
Food added to mets to feed fish - produces waste -eutrophication
Fish farms can act as breeding ground for parasites - infect wild animals
Predators can get attracted but then stuck
Farmers fish escape - problems for indigenous fish
Introduction of non indigenous species - what is it?
A species that doesn’t naturally occur in an area
They can be introduced intentionally or unintentionally
The introduction of non indigenous species may cause problems for indigenous species
What are the impacts of introducing non indigenous species?
They come with indigenous for food and shelter - sometimes they are better and outcompete them
They can also bring new diseases to a habitat
Reforestation
Where the trees are replanted
Forest have a high biodiversity because they have a wide variety of trees and plants - provide food and shelter
Planting a variety of trees will increase biodiversity more than just replanting one
Conservation scheme methods
Protecting a species natural habitat
Protecting species in a safe place outside their habitat and introducing captive breeding programmes to increase numbers
The use of seed banks to store and distribute the seeds of rare and endangered plants
Benefits for humans when maintaining biodiversity
Provides new jobs - ecotourism, conservation schemes and reforestation provide jobs for local people
Ecotourism - people want to visit beautiful, unspoilt places - brings money inti biodiverse areas
Benefits for wildlife by maintaining biodiversity
Minimal damage to food chains - conserving one species will help another species to survive
Providing future medicines - many medicines come from plants
What is a quadrat?
A square frame enclosing a known area
What is the method to use a quadrat to study the distribution of small organisms?
Place quadrat on ground
Count all the organisms in the area
Repeat
Work out the mean number of organisms
How do you estimate the population size?
You have to work out the mean number of organisms
1/ size of quadrat
Total x 10
Total x field area
What is the method to use a belt transects to study distribution along a gradient?
Mark out a line - from edge to middle
Collect data along the line using a quadrat
Plot a graph to see the changing abiotic factors
