The Living World: Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
A community of flora and fauna that interact with biotic (living organisms) and abiotic (soil, water, life, temp) components
Producer
Plants or organisms able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis (making sugars)
Consumer
Creatures that eat producers and obtain the energy from them
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down dead tissue and returns the nutrients to the soil (e.g. Fungi, bacteria)
Food chain
Shows the direct links between different organisms that rely on one another as their source of food
Food web
A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other to survive
Nutrient cycle
When plants or animals die, the decomposers help to recycle the nutrients making them available once again for the growth of plants or animals
Abiotic factors
Non-living things in an ecosystem (e.g. water, soil, climate, light)
Biotic factors
Living things in an ecosystem (e.g. plants, animals, bacterium)
Biome
Large-scale ecosystems defined by abiotic factors (climate, relief, geology and soils)
Biosphere
The zone where life is found. It extends 3m below ground to about 30m above ground and up to 200m deep in the oceans
Biodiversity
The range of plants and animals found in an area
Latitude
How near to the equator an area is
Precipitation
How much rain or snow an area gets
Temperature
How cold or hot an area is
