Module 4: Ecosystem Dynamics Flashcards
Ecosystem dyanmics
Population dynamics
Past ecosystems
Future ecosystems
What effect can one species have on the other species in a community?
Determine relationships between biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem
- the impact of abiotic factors
- the impact of biotic factors, including predation, competition and symbiotic relationships
- the ecological niches occupied by species
- predicting consequences for populations in ecosystems due to predation, competition,
symbiosis and disease
- measuring populations of organisms using sampling techniques
Recent extinction event
How do selection pressures within an ecosystem influence evolutionary change?
Palaeontological and geological evidence that show past changes in ecosystems
- Aboriginal rock paintings
- rock structure and formation
- ice core drilling
Past and present technologies that have been used to determine evidence for past changes
- radiometric dating
- gas analysis
Evidence that present-day organisms have evolved from organisms in the past by
examining and interpreting a range of secondary sources to evaluate processes, claims and
conclusions relating to the evolution of organisms in Australia
- small mammals
- sclerophyll plants
Reasons for changes in past ecosystems
- interpreting a range of secondary sources to develop an understanding of the changes in
biotic and abiotic factors over short and long periods of time
- evaluating hypotheses that account for identified trends
How can human activity impact on an ecosystem?
Changes in past ecosystems that may inform our approach to the management of future ecosystems
- the role of human-induced selection pressures on the extinction of species
- models that humans can use to predict future impacts on biodiversity
- the role of changing climate on ecosystems
Practices used to restore damaged ecosystems, Country or Place
- mining sites
- land degradation from agricultural practices
