Topic 7C: Ecosystem Flashcards
What is a Habitat?
The place where an organism lives e.g. a rocky shore or a field
What is Population?
All the organisms of one species in a given area at a given time
What is community?
Populations of different species living in a given area and at given time
What is an ecosystem?
A community, with all the non-living conditions in the area in which it lives.
Define abiotic conditions?
The living features of the ecosystem eg temperature/ availability of water
Define biotic conditions?
The living features of the ecosystem eg the presence of predators or food
What is niche?
The role of species within its habitat.
What is adaptation?
A feature that members of a species have that increases their chance of survival and reproduction
What type interactions are involved in a niche?
Biotic interactions- organisms it eats, and those its eaten by
Abiotic interactions- the oxygen an organisms breathes in, the CO2 it breathes out
Why might people think that two species have the same niche?
Because theyre either both eaten by the same species or eat the same species BUT there are slight differences like what part of the organism they eat.
Does every species have their own unique niche?
yes
What happens when two species try to occupy the same niches?
They start to compete with each other.
Example of similar but different niches?
Common pipistrelle
-fly and catch insects at 45kHz
Soprano pipistrelle bat
-fly and catch insects at 55kHz
Which organisms are adapted to abiotic conditions?
Otters
Seals
Hedgehogs hibernate
How are Otters adapted to abiotic conditions?
- they have webbed paws
- means they can both walk on land and swim
- increases chance of survival because they can live and hunt on both land and water
How are Seals adapted to abiotic conditions?
- thick layer of blubber
- keeps them warm
How are Hedgehogs adapted to abiotic conditions that allows them to increase their chance of survival?
- they hibernate
- lowers their rate of metabolism
- conserves energy
Which organisms are adapted to biotic conditions?
- Sea Otters
- Male Frogs
- Bacteria/antibiotics
How are Sea ottters adapted to abiotic conditions?
- use rocks to smash open shellfish
- another source of food source
How are Male frogs adapted to abiotic conditions?
- mating calls attract females
- increases successful mating
How are bacteria and antibiotics adapted to abiotic conditions?
- kill other species of bacteria in the same area
- less competition
What is a population size?
The total number of organisms of ones species in a habitat
What is a carrying capacity?
The maximal stable population size of species that an ecosystem can support
How does carrying capacity vary?
due different abiotic and biotic factors
What factors are abiotic?
temperature
space availability
water
light
What happens when there is ideal abiotic factors?
Organisms grow fast and reproduces successfully
What are the factors that are affected by biotic conditions ?
IntRAspecific Competition
IntERspecific Competition
Predation
What is intraspecific competition?
Competition within a species
What is interspecific?
Competition between different species
What is predation?
When prey and predator population are linked.
What is succession?
When the ecosystem changes over time
What does it mean when yousay the ecosystem is dynamic?
It means it is constantly changing
What are the two types of succession?
Primary succession
Secondary succession
What is primary succession?
- When there is land that has been newly formed or exposed
- no soil
- no organic material
Give an example of primary succession?
- Where a volcano has erupted to form new rock surface
- when the sea level has dropped exposing new area of land.
What is secondary succession?
- When the land has been cleared of all plants
- but soil remains
Give an example of secondary succession?
- after a forest fire
- deforestation
Outline the stages of primary succession/secondary succession
- pioneer species start colonising new land surface
- pioneer species survive harsh hostile abiotic conditions
- they grow and adapt
- they change the abiotic conditions
- they die and decompose from microorganisms
- this provides organic material basic soil
- makes it less hostile
- new species start to move and grow
- increase biodiversity
- they grow and change the environment to become less hostile
- eventually leads to climax community
What have as succession goes on?
- ecosystems become more complex and diverse
- biodiversity increases
What is the final stage of succession?
Climax community- an ecosystem supporting the largest and most complex community of plants and animals it can. It is at a steady state
What is climax community?
No further succession occurring
Primary succession can start on….
- bare rock
- sand dunes
- salt marshes
- lakes
Name a pioneer species?
- marram grass
- because it has deep roots to get water and tolerate salty conditions
Example of primary succession from bare rock to woodland
- pioneer species colonise rocks (eg lichens)
- lichens do this by breaking down rocks and releasing energy
- lichens die and decompose forming thin soil
- other species like mosses can grow now
- As soil deepen larger plants that need more water start to move
- the environmental conditions start to change
- shrubs/fern and small trees become to grow and compete
- DIVERSITY increases
- Dominant species lead to climax community
Different ecosystems have different….
Climax communities
What is the climax community in temperature climate?
- plenty of water
- mild temperatures
- not much change between seasons
- contains large trees
- because deep soil has developed
What is the climax community in polar climate?
- not much water
- temp low
- massive changes between seasons
- no large trees
What is conservation?
The protection and management of succession
What is plagioclimax?
When human activities prevent succession and artificially stops climax community from developing.
Why do people sometimes stop succession
Because they want to preserve the current ecosystem
Ways of managing succession?
- Managed fires
- animal grazing
What are the different methods of conservation?
- some focus on the conserving a particular species
- some focus on conserving a particular habitat
Provide examples of conservation techniques?
- plant conserved in seed-banks
- fishing quotas
- protected areas eg national parks
- captivity for endangered species
