Mr Allsop- Ecosystems Flashcards
what is an ecosystem
all living organisms that interact with one another in a defined areas, and the physical factors present in that region
how does temperature affect plants
each species has an optimum temperature too high- enzyme’s will denature, too low- not enough enzyme substrate complexes formed due to reduced KE
how does light affect plants
higher- greater rate of photosynthesis, more glucose, more seeds, higher population, more animals can be supported
what do plants of if they cant access enough light
grow towards it, pigments absorb different wavelengths of light so some photosynthesis can occur
how does PH effect the plant
too high or low- tertiary structure changes so substrate can’t fit into active site
how does water/ humidity effect the plant
plants adapted to dry conditions - xerophytes
humid- high water potential outside leaf, so low eater potential gradient, less transpiration
where is there high oxygen availability for a plant
fast flowing water, stagnant water has less oxygen so tends to be less biodiverse
what are edapthic factors
soil important as contains water and mineral ions for photosynthesis, anchor for roots
what is sandy soil
lots of air spaces so water can move through and out
what is clay soil
particles are close together so water is retained and can get water logged
what is loam soil
middle ground as is mixture of clay and sandy soil- so lets water through but some is retained
what is meant by a dynamic ecosystem
change in conditions but there are ideal conditions - both abiotic and biotic are dynamic
why do abiotic facotrs have larger impact on plant species
immobile- can’t move to different environment
autotrophic- need light etc,
what is a producer
organism that converts light energy to chemical energy - autotrophic
what is a primary consumer
eats producers
what is a secondary consumer
eats primary consumer
what is a trophic level
levels of energy
what makes a food chain more efficient
less trophic levels as more energy is conserved as energy is lost at each level
what is a pyramid of number
number of organisms from one producer - usually weird shapes
what is a pyramid of biomass
energy levels - pyramid shape
what is biomass
mass of living material present in a particular place or in particular organism
how do we measure biomass
biomass is one organisms biomass multiplied by number of organisms in trophic level
how is trophic level efficacy calculated
production at present trophic level/ production at previous production level x100
how do we measure mass of fresh material present
a lot of water, easier- weigh organism
