Module 6: Ecosystems Flashcards
Ecology is the study of …
An ecosystem is made up of what ?
the relationships between organisms and their environment
all the living organisms in an area , alongside all the non-living components that they interact with
Describe the difference between biotic and abiotic factors
biotic-are living factors as well as the interactions between living organisms
abiotic-non living/physical factors
Give 4 examples of biotic factors
-number and types of animal/plant species
-competition between organisms for resources such as food
-predator and prey relationships
-role of diseases and parasites within the ecosystem
What are the 5 main abiotic factors that effect an ecosystem
light intensity
temperature
water availability
oxygen availability
edaphic factors (soil types)
Describe why light intensity effects ecosystems and how it influences them
Why-it effects the growth and behaviour of photosynthetic organisms as they require light energy in order to photosynthesise
How-photosynthetic organisms may develop larger leaves or use pigments adapted to lower light conditions in order to survive while other species that can’t adapt may fail to survive
Describe why temperature effects ecosystems and how it influences them
(For how it influences ecosystems , think about the effects of warm conditions and the effects of a change in conditions)
Why-temperature affects the activity of enzymes that regulate metabolic and reproductive processes
How-warm conditions allow plants and ectothermic animals to develop faster , changes in temperature can cause migration/hibernation in some species and dormancy/leaf fall in plants
Describe why water availability effects ecosystems and how it influences them
(think about how a lack of water would influence an ecosystem)
Why-water is crucial for many cellular activities such as maintaining osmotic balance and for photosynthesis
How-lack of water can lead to cell damage , plants wilting and reduced photosynthesis rates that may lead to plant death
Describe why oxygen availability would affect an ecosystem and how it influences them
Why-oxygen is vital for survival of aerobic organisms as they require it for respiration to produce ATP
How-low oxygen levels can lead to suffocation of aerobic organisms
Describe why soil type would affect an ecosystem and how it influences them
Why-different soil types will differ in drainage capabilities and the nutrients it can offer to organisms
How-the different soil types have different particle sizes which affects their ability to drain water and influences the plant species they are able to support
Organisms within an ecosystem are organised into what?
What does a food chain/web represent?
What is the main source of energy for almost all ecosystems?
trophic levels (stages in a food chain)
the transfer of biomass and therefore energy through the organisms within an ecosystem
The sun
What are the 5 key trophic levels?
(in order)
1)producer
2)primary consumer
3)secondary consumer
4)tertiary consumer
5)decomposers
Define what a producer is
Define what a primary consumer is
an organism that converts light energy into chemical energy by the process of photosynthesis
these are herbivores which consume the producers
What is a secondary consumer?
What is a tertiary consumer?
Give the reason why there are rarely any more trophic levels above tertiary consumers
organisms that consume the primary consumers
organisms that consume the secondary consumers
because there isn’t sufficient biomass and stored energy left to support a further trophic level
Describe the role of decomposers
they decompose (break down) dead organisms and release nutrients back into the ecosystem
What is biomass?
the total mass of living material present in a particular place or in particular organisms
-it serves as an indicator of energy content
Give the units of measurement for biomass on land and in aquatic environments
land- grams per square metre
aquatic-grams per cubic metre
How do you calculate biomass at each trophic level?
Give the calculation for efficiency of biomass transfers between trophic levels
by multiplying the biomass present in each organism by the total number of organisms in the trophic level
efficiency=biomass transferred divided by biomass intake x 100
