Living World Flashcards
What is a biome?
A global scale ecosystem
What are producers?
Organisms that obtain their energy from a primary source. Eg the sun
What is a consumer?
Organisms that obtain their energy by eating other organisms
What are decomposers?
Organisms that break down plant and animal material. Eg bacteria
What is a scavenger?
Organisms that consume dead animals or plants
What is a food chain?
Something that shows the linear links between producers and consumers
What is a food web?
Shows the detailed connections between producers and consumers
What is nutrient cycling?
The recycling of nutrients between living organisms and the environment
What are adaptations?
The way that plants evolve to cope with certain environmental conditions such as excessive rain fall
What is an ecosystem?
The living and non living parts of an environment and the interrelationships that exist between them
What are temperate deciduous forests?
Forests made up of broad leaved trees such as oak that drop their leaves in autumn
What is stratification?
Layering of forests, seen particularly in temperate deciduous forests and tropical rain forests
What are tropical rainforests?
The natural vegetation found in the tropics, well suited to the high temperatures and heavy rainfall of these latitudes
What is leaching?
The dissolving and removal of nutrients from the soil, often in tropical rainforests because of the heavy rainfall
What does arid mean?
Dry conditions that are usually associated with deserts
What are hot deserts?
Deserts have a rainfall of less than 250mm a year. Hot deserts are usually doing between 30°N and 30°S of the equator
What is pollarding?
Cutting of trees at about shoulder height to encourage new growth
What is sustainable management?
A form of management that ensures that developments are long lasting and non-harmful to the environment
What is primary (Virgin) rainforest?
Rainforest that represents the natural vegetation in the region unaffected by the actions of people
What is deforestation?
The cutting down and removal of trees
What is clear felling?
Absolute clearance of all trees from an area