Living World : Ecosystems Flashcards
Producers in a pond
Produce their own food and energy
- Waterside plants, reeds, algae
Consumers in a pond
Herbivores, feed off of the producers
- Pond snail
Decomposers in a pond
Break down plant and animal matter down which returns nutrients to the soil
- Bacteria, fungi
What is a food chain?
Shows the direct transfer of energy in an ecosystem between organisms
What is a food web?
Shows all the connections between organisms, and demonstrates their interdependence to survive in an ecosystem
Nutrient Cycling
When plants and animals die, decomposers recycle nutrients back into the soil, making them available again for producers and the cycle continues.
- Rainwater and weathered rock are good sources of nutrients
Food Chain in a pond example
Algae, Frog tadpole, sticklebacks, perch, heron
Natural changes to an ecosystem?
- Climate Change
- Drought
- Storms
Changes due to human activity on an ecosystem?
- Fertilisers can lead to eutrophication
- Draining of ponds
- Deforestation
- Hedgerow removal
How can introduction of perch in an ecosystem affect it?
- Perch eats more small fish and frogs
- Reduces food for organisms further up the food chain
- Increase in organisms below frogs and smaller fish in ecosystem
Avington Lake Restoration
- New habitat
- Waterside animals, birds, fish, etc
- Desilting and redefining lake
Distribution of global ecosystems
Tropical Rainforests - Clos to equator
Desert - Roughly 30 degrees North and South of Equator
Polar - Arctic / Antarctic
Deciduous and Coniferous Forest - Roughly 50-60 degrees NORTH of equator
Temperate Grassland - Roughly 30-40 degrees north and south of equator
Mediterranean - Roughly 40-45 degrees of equator
Savanna - 15-30 degrees North and South of equator
Tundra - From Arctic circle to about 60-70 degrees North
