Populations in ecosystems Flashcards
population & ecosystems, competition, predation, investigating populations, successions and conservation of habitats
What forms a community?
- populations of different species form a community.
What forms an ecosystem?
- dynamic systems made up of a community and all non-living factors from its environment
How can ecosystems range in size?
Large scale e.g. African grassland
Medium scale e.g. football field
Small scale e.g. a single tree
What does an environment include?
abiotic (non-living) factors & biotic (living) factors
Examples of abiotic factors
temperature and rainfall
Examples of biotic factors
competition and predation
In a habitat an organism occupies what?
A niche governed by their adaptation
to both abiotic and biotic conditions
What is a population ?
group of individuals of 1 species that occupy the same habitat at the same time
(potentially able to interbreed)
What is the carrying capacity?
- maximum population size (ecosystem can support and) that can be maintained over a period of time in that particular habitat
Size of a population can vary as a result of what?
1 the effect of abiotic factors
2 interactions between organisms (e.g. intraspecific and interspecific competition & predation
What’s intraspecific competition?
- where members of the same species compete for limited resources
- leads to a reduction in fitness for both individuals
What’s Interspecific Competition?
- occurs when members of different species compete for a shared resource
2 major processes to consider within an ecosystem?
1 flow of energy through the system
2 cycling of elements within the system
What is a community?
- populations of different species living & interacting in a particular place at the same time
What is a habitat?
- place where an organism usually lives
- characterized by physical conditions & other types of organism present
