interactions within ecosystems Flashcards
state the conseration of energy
energy cannot be created or destroyed
it can only be transfered from one form to another
state the conservation of mass
atoms cannot be created or destroyed
the atoms can only be rearrenged in the particle
what are some actions that negatively impact the environment
- wasting food
- using more electricity
- using more water
- creating excessive waste
how does wasting food impact the environment
green house gases due to incineration
how does creating excessive waste impact the environment
green house gases due to incineration
how does using more electricity impact the enviornment
carbon emmisions casuing pollution
how does reducing the use of fossil fuels impact the environment
less greenhouse gases contirbutes to less climate change
what are some actions that positvely impact the environment
- reducing the use of fossil fuels
- reducing consumption
- introducting environmentally friendly practices
- reforestation
how does reducing consumption impact the environment
less greenhouse gases
how does introducing environmentally friendly practices impact the environment
reduce greenhouse gases and pollution that reduces climate change
how does reforestation impact the environment
- protectes the soil (stores carbon)
factors that environmentally influence the survival of organisms are
- physical factors
- adaptations in organisms
definition of physical factors
factors that distuinguish different environments
examples of physical factors
- air
- water
- temperature
- light
- minerals
- acidity/alkalinity
what are some instruments physical factors can be measured
- data loggers
- probes (to test something for a factor)
what are the adavptive traits in organisms
- structural
- behavioural
what is structural adaptation in organisms
physical characteristics of an organism that helps it to survive in its habitat
definition of behavioural adaptation in organisms
different behaviours of an organism that allows it to survive in its habitat
what happens when environmental conditions in habitats change
- organisms that unable to survive under new conditions will die
- organisms that are able to survive will reproduce
what happens to the offsprings of the organisms that are able to survive the new conditions
the offsprings will have similar adaptive traits of the organism and thus wil be able to survive under the new environmental conditions
what are the parts making up an ecosystem
organisms → population → community → ecosystem
what is an organism
an organism is any living entity that is able to reporoduce, respirate etc
what is a population
organisms of the same kind living in the same environment
what is a community
different populations of plants and animals living and interacting in a particular environment
what is an ecosystem
the interactions between a community and its physical environment
what are the types of interrelationships in an ecosystem
- predator-prey
- mutalism
- parasitism
what is predator-prey relationship
- predators hunt down the prey using their adaptations
- likewise, preys have adaptations to avoid being caught by the predators
what are some adaptations of a predator
- sharp teeth
- strong claws
- high speed
- sharp senses
- different hunting strategies (mimicking their prey)
what are some adaptations of a prey
- high speed
- small size
- effective camouflage
- defensive body parts (horns etc.)
- mimicking unpleasant objects (fool predator)
what is mutualism relationship
2 or more organisms that support or benefit one another
an example of mutualisms
a crocodile and a plover bird, the bird will pick the food out of the crocodiles mouth. the bird will obtain food and the crocodile will not get food decay
what is parasitism relationship
when an organism benefits off another organism by harming it
example of parasitism
round worms living in humans small intestine. they obtain food but humans get infected
what are the factors involved in maintaining a stable food web
- energy from food in plants
- flow of energy and nutrients in food chains and food webs
explain energy from food in plants
how does it maintain a stable ecosystem
green plants are producers
- they make food from the sun
- the food produced can be used to provide energy needed for life proccess in the plants (cellular respiration)
- energy released by the plants is used for growth (some energy is stored in the plant as chemical potential energy)
what is the name of the plant in a food web
producer
what is the term for the organism that directly eats the plant
primary consumer
what is the term for the organism that eats the primary consumer
secondary consumer
what is the term for the organism that eats the secondary consumer
tertiary consumer
what is the term for the organism that eats the tertiary consumer
apex consumer (usually no more than 4 consumers)
why is there usually no more than 4 consumers
There is not enough energy in the tertiary / quaternary consumers to support another level of consumers
what is the transfer of energy from one organism to another
10% of energy is transfered
why is the energy transfer only 10%
the other 90% is used for:
- respiration
- growth
- movement (consumers only)
- warmth (consumers only)
- excretion(consumers only)
what does prey and predator relationship mean in a food web
when it comes out in a test
- cannot be producers
- cannot be decomposers
- find a relationship between 2 consumers (where one eats the other)
what is the diffence between energy flow and nutrient flow
- Nutrient cycles are cyclic while energy flow is linear
- Nutrients can be recycled while energy is lost from the ecosystem
water cycle
(what happens)
- evaporation
- condensation
- transpiration
- sublimation
- deposition
- precipiation
- infiltation
- runoff
- percolation
what is the nutrient cycle
- water and air penetrate soil
- dead plant and animal matter
- decomposers break down organic matter
- minerals and other nutrients are released into the soil
- plant growth
- rocks broken down
why do we not have a stable ecosystem
Human activities tend to unbalance ecosystems
example
of how human activities unbalance ecosystems
production of greenhouse gases over and above pre-industrial levels after the industrial revolution started
what are greenhouse gases
gases that have the property of being able to absorb infra-red radiation / heat
what is in greenhouse gases
- carbon dioxide (CO₂)
- nitrous oxide (N₂O)
- carbon manoxide (CO)
- sulphur dioxide (SO₂)
- methane (CH₄)
- chlorofluoro-carbon (CFC)
- ozone (O₃)
what is the greenhouse effect
- some solar radiation is reflected by the earth and the atmosphere
- most radiation is absorbed by the earths surface and warms it
- some if the infared radiation passes through the atmosphere, some is absorbed and re-emitted in all directions by greenhouse gas molecules → warms the earths surface and the lower atmosphere
- infared radiation is emitted by the earths surface
definition of food chain
