Energy Flow in Ecosystems Flashcards
factors of an abiotic environment
- sunlight
- wind
- air composition
- temperature
- minerals
- water
factors of a biotic environment
- producers
- consumers
- decomposers
- competition
- predation
give equivalents for the following of a usual food chain: TL1 TL2 TL3 TL4
- producer
- primary consumer/herbivore/prey
- secondary consumer/carnivore/prey and predator
- tertiary consumer/rop carnivore/predator
what is the study of living things and their interactions with each other and their environment
ecology
what is a self-supporting system of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment
ecosystem
place within an ecosystem where specific organisms live
habitat
all of the organisms of a particular species found in an ecosystem
population
all the different species living in an ecosystem
community
the struggle fore resources
competition
all the non-biological components of the ecosystem including water, air temp etc
a physical environment
organism is an ecosystem that can make their own food through photosynthesis
producer
organism in an ecosystem that obtains energy by feeding on producers
primary consumer
organism in an ecosystem that obtains energy by feeding on primary consumer
secondary consumer
animal that feeds on plants
herbivore
animal hunted and killed by another for food
prey
animal that feeds on other animals
carnivore
animal that preys on other animals
predator
animal that has no natural predators
top carnivore
organism that decompose organic material
decomposer
organism that feeds on decaying organic material
detritivore
shows simple feeding relationships within an ecosystem
food chain
shows complex feeding relationships within an ecosystem
food web
stage in a food chain
trophic level
represents the number or organisms in each trophic level in a food chain (irrespective of their mass)
pyramids of numbers
represents the total madd of the organisms in each trophic lever (irrespective of their number)
pyramids of biomass
shows the energy transferred through each tropic level in a food chain
pyramids of energy transfer
a square frame with a measured grid of wire within it used for systematic sampling of organisms
quadrat
when making food chain pyramids what must you do
use a ruler, must be to scale and label the bares
how is energy lost in each stage of the food chain
- not all eaten
- not all digested and absorbed
- some lost in excretion
- some used in growth and reproduction
- some lost in respiration to release energy (heat/movement)
how do plants survive if shadowed by tall trees
can absorb light at different wavelengths and absorb nutrients via the soil and decomposed matter
why do we do sample populations
difficult to count all organisms, they move around, time consuming, impractical
define a farm
a managed ecosystem
define a pest
organisms that reduce the yield of crops or farm animals (pests include some plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and viruses)
4 ways for pests to be controlled
1) herbicides –> kill weeds
2) insecticides –> kill insects
3) fungicides –> kill fungi
4) molluscicides –> kill molluscs
advantages of pest control
higher crop yield
cheaper in the long run
disadvantages of pest control
eutrophication expensive effects soil nutrition resistance build up/immunity bioaccumulation
what is bioaccumulation/magnification
pesticides stored in fatty tissues of animals
pesticide concentration increases in animal tissues
3 advantages of fish farming
fish are protected from predators and disease
meets demands
selective breeding programmes can improve quality of fish
water quality can be carefully monitored
3 disadvantages of fish farming
overuse of antibiotics
pollution of water from faeces and food pellets –> eutrophication?
spread of disease more likely
