The Ecosystem Flashcards
Define abiotic
NON-LIVING factors of the ecosystem (ENVIRONMENT)
Define biotic
LIVING components within an ecosystem (community)
Define trophic level
Feeding level of a food chain.
3 types of pyramids for showing ecosystem stuff
” “ Of numbers, biomass, productivity.
Define species
A group of organisms that INTERBREED and produce FERTILE OFFSPRING.
Define population
A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time, and which are capable of interbreeding.
Define habitat
The ENVIRONMENT in which a species normally lives.
Define niche
WHERE and HOW a species lives.
Define ecosystem
A community of INTERDEPENDENT organisms and the PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT they inhibit.
INTRAspecific competition
Competition WITHIN a species
INTERspecific competition
Competition between DIFFERENT species.
Define mutualism
A symbiotic relationship in which BOTH species BENEFIT.
Define parasitism
A symbiotic relationship in which one species BENEFITS, at the EXPENSE of the other.
Define net primary productivity (NPP)
The GAIN in energy/biomass per unit area per unit time remaining after allowing for losses of energy due to respiration.
Features of a tropical rainforest.
- constant high temperatures.
- high rainfall (over 2500mm yr-1).
- lie in a band around the Equator.
- high light levels.
- little seasonal variation.
- high levels of photosynthesis & NPP.
- evergreen forests & high diversity.
Features of deserts.
- found in bands latitudes approx 30 N+S.
- high temperatures (45-49 degrees C).
- limited rates of photosynthesis & NPP.
- vegetation is scarce.
- soil rich in nutrients.
- xerophytic adaptations.
Features of tundra.
- high latitudes, adjacent to ice margins.
- limited levels of sunlight.
- water is limiting factor.
- photosynthesis & productivity is low.
- low temperatures.
- arctic tundra & alpine tundra.
Features of temperate forest.
- between 40 & 60 degrees of the equator.
- seasonal areas.
- evergreen & deciduous.
- rainfall between 500-1500mm yr-1.
- lower diversity.
- variation in isolation.
Features of grassland.
- Every continent except Antarctica.
- not enough precipitation for forests, too much for deserts.
- wide diversity.
- low levels of productivity.
- rainfall is approx in balance with evaporation levels.
Define producer.
Make their own food.
Define decomposers & consumers.
Feed on other organisms.
Define Primary productivity
The gain by producers in energy/biomass per unit area per unit time
Define Secondary productivity
The biomass gained by heterotrophic organisms, through feeding & absorption, measured in units of mass/energy per unit area per unit time.
Limiting factors
Factors that limit the distribution/numbers of a particular population.
Carrying capacity
The number of organisms/size of population that an area/ecosystem can support sustainably over a long period of time.
Succession
The orderly process of change over time in a community.
Zonation
The arrangement or patterning of plant communities/ecosystems into bands in response to change, over a distance, in some environmental factor.
