Key area 1- Ecosystems Flashcards
What is a a species?
A species is a group of organisms which can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
What is biodiversity?
The range (variety/number) of species within an ecosystem.
What is population?
The total number of living organisms of one type (species) living in a habitat.
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives e.g. in water, in soil, trees etc.
What is a community?
All the organisms (e.g. plants, animals and micro-organisms) that live in a particular area.
What is an ecosystem?
All the organisms (the community) living in a particular habitat and the non-living components with which the organisms interact.
Sometimes written as: Community + habitat
What is a niche?
A niche is the role that an organism plays within a community.
What is a producer?
An organism that can produce its own food.
What is a predator?
An animal that hunts and eats other animals.
What is a consumer?
An animal that eats other organisms.
What is a herbivore?
An animal which eats only plants.
What is a carnivore?
An animal which eats only animals.
What is prey?
An animal which is hunted and eaten by other animals.
What is a decomposer?
An organism which feeds on dead organisms.
What is an omnivore?
An animal which eats plants and animals.
What is a food chain?
A food chain is a diagram which shows a simple feeding relationship between organisms.
What do the arrows in a food chain/web show?
The direction of energy flow.
What is competition?
Competition in ecosystems occurs when resources are in short supply.
What are the 2 different types of competition?
Intraspecific and interspecific
What is intraspecific competition?
Intraspecific competition occurs amongst individuals of the same species and is for all resources required.
Intraspecific competition is more intense than interspecific competition.
What is interspecific competition?
Interspecific competition occurs amongst individuals of different species for one or a few of the resources they require.
