Interactions within Ecosystems Flashcards
Species
Organisms that are able to breed with each other to produce fertile offspring
Climate
- Average weather conditions in a region over a period of time
- Determined by temperature and rainfall
- Result of unequal heating, snow n water, bodies of water
Precipitation
- Influences the type of soil that forms in different regions
- Determine type of plants and other photosynthetic organisms that can survive
- Those organisms determine the variety and population sizes of animals that inhabit the area
Habitat
- Place or area with a certain set of characteristics (biotic and abiotic)
Range
- Geographical area where the population or species is found
Niche
- The role that the members of the species play in a community
- Species can share same range bcs they have different roles
- Reduces competition for territory and resources
Biodiversity
The variety of habitats and niches or variety of species can vary in different areas depending on biotic and abiotic components
Biomes
- Large ecosystems or groups of ecosystems
List Terrestrial Biomes (land)
- Desert
- Tundra
- Grasslands
- Taiga
- Tropical rainforest
- Temperate deciduous forest
List Aquatic Biomes
- Lakes
- Rivers
- Estuaries (river flows into ocean)
- Coral Reefs
- Intertidial zones (ocean meets land)
- Ocean
- Deep sea
Biotic Potential
- Maximum number of offspring that a species could produce if resources were unlimited
- 4 factors: Birth potential, Capacity for survival, Breeding Frequency, and Length of Reproductive life
Birth Potential
Maximum number of offspring per birth
Capacity for survival
Number of offspring that live to their reproductive age
Breeding Frequency
Number of times that a species reproduces a year
Length of Reproductive Life
Age of sexual maturity and the number of years that individual can reproduce (when they stop reproducing)
Limiting Factors
Abiotic and biotic conditions that limit the number of individuals in a population
Carrying capacity
Maximum number of individual species that can be supported by an ecosystem
Abiotic limiting factors
They limit the distribution and size of the population that live there
Ex. soil, temp, moisture
Biotic Limiting Factors
- Competition
- Predators
- Parasites
How does competition limit populations?
- when there is a limited supply of resources, members must compete with each other
- births decrease or deaths increase, slowing population growth
Intraspecific competition
Members of the same population compete with each other for limited resources
Interspecific competition
Competition between 2 or more populations
How do predators limit populations?
- Involves the consumption of one organism by the other
How do parasites limit populations?
- Parasites gets nourished by another organism (the host)
- one organism benefits form the interaction, other does not
- Increased number or parasites decreases the host’s ability to survive and reproduce
Density-dependent factors
Biotic and limit the growth of a population with increased density of the population
Ex. Food shortage, disease, competition
Density-independent factors
Abiotic and limit the growth of a population regardless of its size or density
Ex. Flood, Fire, Climate change