Naming Communities Flashcards
What is a community?
A community is a collection of individual organisms of different species living together in one place at a particular time.
How are communities named?
They are named by their dominant plant species in the area or the overall structure of the environment.
Example of dominant species: mangrove community or blue gum community.
Examples of overall structure: forest community and wetland community.
What are micro habitats?
Micro habitats are smaller communities that may have a micro-climate of their own. Example: under loose bark of a tree trunk or inside leaves.
Define ecology
Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with other organisms and their physical surroundings.
Define ecosystem
An ecosystem is a self-sustaining group of organisms interacting with its environment. Has a boundary, inputs, outputs and processes.
Two components that make up an ecosystem are biological and physical components.
Give an example of an interaction between organisms and their physical surroundings.
Blue gums and possums
Ants and grass
What is the dominant species?
The dominant species is not the most common in area but is the most obvious species which gives the community its particular character.
State the difficulty with naming species with dominant species and physical surrounding.
When a community is varied and complex there is no particular species that appear to be dominant. There tends to be consistent unless everyone uses the same terms in the exact same way.
Energy input into ecosystems
The sun is the major source of energy for organisms and the ecosystems of which they are a part. Producers such as plants use energy from sunlight to make organic matter.
Energy output from ecosystems
Energy produced by an ecosystems
