The Living World - Ecosystems Flashcards
Ecosystem
A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment
Biome
A very large ecosystem found on a regional scale e.g tropical rainforest.
They are characterised by similar flora, fauna and climates
Nutrient cycling
A set of processes where organisms extract minerals necessary for growths from soil or water before passing them on through the food chain, back to soil and water.
Example of a small scale UK ecosystem
Reigate Heath, Surrey
Different trophic levels of the food chain in Reigate Heath
Producers - Heather and Gorse - plants and shrubs
Consumers - Rabbits and butterflies - Herbivores
Secondary Consumers - Dartford warbler and weasel - Birds and small mammals
Tertiary consumers - kestrel - Top predators/Birds of prey
Decomposers role in Reigate Heath
Nutrient cycling by breaking down organic matter
Examples of Decomposers in Reigate Heath
Fungi - decompose leaf litter adn dead wood
Bacteria - Decomposes organic matter
Detritivores - insects that feed on decomposing plant and animal material
Interrelationships in Reigate Heath
Heather serves as food but also provides shelter for small insects and mammals
Gorse offers nesting sites for birds
Decomposers ensure that nutrients are recycled to maintain soil fertility and support plant growth
How can human activity affect the Reigate Heath ecosystem
Parking/Roads - tarmac is impermeable = flood risk
Golf Course - Natural landscape is interfered with
Public footpath - erosion of footpath/landscape
Stores of Nutrients within the nutrient cycle
Biomass - living plants/animals
Soils - soil profile varies in biomes
(Leaf) Litter - Dead plant matter on the forest floor
What factors affect the distribution/location of biomes?
Climate
Surface winds
Ocean Temperature
Characteristics of a Coniferous forest
Cold a and dark winters
Warm summers
Characteristics of a Deciduous forest
Shed leaves in winter to retain moisture
Moderate - mostly mild + moist conditions
Few extremes of temperature
Characteristics of deserts
Arid Conditions
Hot in daytime, cold at night
Lack of cloud clover
Animals /plants are well adapted
Characteristics of the Mediterranean
Hot and dry summers
Wet and mild winters
