the living world Flashcards
what is an ecosystem?
a community of plants and animals living together in a a habitat
what is a biome?
a global scale ecosystem e.g. a desert
what is a producer?
organisms that obtain their energy from a primary source such as the sun
what is a consumer?
organisms that obtain their energy by eating other organisms
what is a scavenger?
organisms that consume dead animals or plants
what is a decomposer?
organisms such as bacteria that break don plant and animal matter
what is the order of consumers?
bottom- producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer, Quaternary consumer
what is nutrient cycle?
it shows the circling of nutrients in the cycle, such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon etc
what is fall out?
where the dead trees (biomass) are falling to the ground, therefore making more litter
what is leaching?
nutrients that are lost out of soil during heavy rain
what are the four levels of the rainforest?
the lowest is the forest floor, then the lower canopy, then the canopy, then the emergent
describe the forest floor
it is dark and steamy, it has 2% of light, it is 0-10 meters, it has leaf litter and dead and decaying matter, and has insects, snakes and alligators near water
describe the lower canopy
it grows quickly, the plants compete for life, it is 10-20 meters and has insects and sloths
describe the canopy
it is 20-30 meters, it is tall and straight, it has few branches, the main section, it has lots of creepers up trunks, it is in an umbrella shape and has birds and monkeys
describe the emergent
it is 30-40 meters, it has horizontal leaves to get more water, has thick trunks with only 1 or 2 of the tallest trees and has birds and butterflies
