life on earth Flashcards
what is an ecosystem?
a natural biological unit composed of habitats and communities
what is a habitat?
the place where an organism lives
what does abiotic mean?
a non-living factor that effects an ecosystem
name 4 abiotic factors?
light intensity, soil moisture, pH level, temperature
what is a food chain?
the feeding relationships between different organisms
what is a food web?
a set of interlocking food chains
what is the definition of producer?
able to produce their own food by converting the suns light energy into chemical energy
what is the definition of primary consumer?
plant eating consumer energy is transferred from the plant to the animal
what is the definition of secondary consumer?
when the primary consumer is eaten by the secondary consumer
what are biotic changes?
changes related to how living things interact with one another such as competition for food, disease and predation
4 examples of biotic changes?
food, disease, predation, invasive species
what is the effect of biotic and abiotic factors on organisms?
changes in biotic and abiotic factors affect the distribution of organisms in an ecosystem
state 2 types of adaptations in living things and what they do
a physical or behavioural change that develops over time which allows an organism better survival in its ecosystem
state the meaning of biodiversity
diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment
why is biodiversity important?
provides different resources
what is biodiversity important?
provides different resources
why is economic diversity important?
food, medicine and raw materials
what is aesthetic important?
so it looks nice
when is innate behaviour present?
at birth
learned behaviour is…
developed throughout life
what do behavioural adaptations help animals to do?
survive
all living organisms need certain chemicals to stay healthy what are these?
nutrients
what do plants and animals need nitrogen?
to make proteins
nutrients and nitrogen must be what in the environment otherwise they’ll run out?
recycled
when plants and animals die the nutrients inside them are broken down by organisms called what?
decomposers
nitrogen gas turns into nitrate and creates what?
nitritacation by bacteria
what does the arrow in a food chain mean?
direction of energy flow
