Topic 7- ECOLOGY Flashcards
Define - habitat , population , community , and ecosystems
habitat - place where an organism lives
population - all of one species living in one habitat
community - the populations of different species living in a habitat
ecosystem - the interaction of a community of living organisms with abiotic and biotic factors
Define abiotic and biotic factors
Abiotic - non living factors of an environment
Biotic - living factors in an environment
what do plants compete for ?
plants need light and space as well as water
what do animals compete for ?
animals need space , food water and mates
what are examples of abiotic factors
- moisture levels
- light intensity
- soil pH
what are examples of biotic factors
- new predators
- competition
- new pathogens
what are the three types of adaptations
structural , behavioural , functional
what do you use quadrats for
to study the distribution of small organisms
what do use a transect for
to study the distribution of organisms along a line
explain how environmental changes affect the distribution of organisms
availability of water - large numbers of wildebeests migrate north and back up south as the rainfall patterns change
temperature - the European bird eater is Mediterranean bird but is in parts of Germany
atmospheric gases - species of lichen cant grow in areas of sulphur dioxide
what is the carbon cycle
the constant cycling of carbon
release through : burning , plant respiration , animal respiration , released from decay
absorbed : through respiration
the rate of decay is affected by …
temperature - increase the rate enzymes work , but too high slows down
oxygen availability - the microorganisms don’t need oxygen
water availability - organism involved in decay need water for biological processes
number of decay organism - the more detritus feeders faster the rate of decay
