populations and ecosystems Flashcards
define ecosystem
all the living and non living components of an area
define abiotic
an ecological factor that makes up part of the non biological environment of an organism
define biotic
an ecological factor that makes up part of the living environment of an organism
list 4 abiotic factors
PH
temperature
light intensity
oxygen concentration
mineral content of soil
water
list 4 biotic factors
food availability
predation
competition
diseases
define population
a group of individuals of the same species that occupy the same habitat at the same time
define habitat
place where an organism normally lies and which is characterised by physical conditions an the types of other organisms present
define species
a group of similar organism that can breed to produce fertile offspring
define community
all the living organisms present in an ecosystem at a given time
define niche
describes how an organism fits into is environment. It describes what a species is like, where it occurs, and how it behaves, the interactions with other species an how it responds to its environment
what 4 factors is population size affected by
abiotic factors
intraspecific competition
interspecific competition
predation
define population size
number of individuals of a species in an area
over time when a population size plateaus what is it called?
carrying capacity
define intraspecific competition
competition between individuals of the same species
list 5 things organisms compete for in intraspecific competition
mates (breeding sites)
space
food
water
light
how does intraspecific competition determine population size
less resources so less food
more competition
= smaller population
more resources so more food
less competition
bigger population
define interspecific competition
between individuals of different species
name 4 things organism compete for in interspecific competition
water
light
space
food
why does population size of those with the competitive edge increase due to interspecific competition
species with the competitive edge will get more resources
more individuals will survive, reproduce, have offspring
increased population size of species with the competitive edge
why does it take longer for interspecific competition to influence population size
lots of factors influence it
for example; birth rate, death rate
