Topic 9 - Ecosystems And Material Cycles Flashcards
Symbiosis
The ecological relationship between organisms living closely together with some form of feeding relationship involved
Mutualism
Where both organisms benefit e.g Bumble Bee and Pollinating Flower
Commensalism
Where one organism benefits while the other organism is not harmed e.g Cattle Egrets and Livestock
Parasitism
Where one organism benefits and causes harm to the other organism e.g Endoparasites and Ectoparasites
Examples of endoparasites
Tapeworms, Roundworms that live in the digestive systems of its host
Examples of ectoparasites
Lice, ticks, fleas
Community
Populations of different species that live and interact with each other.
Ecosystem
A community of organisms and the physical environment they live in.
Habitat
The place in which an organism lives.
Population
All the organisms of a particular species living in the same area.
Interdependent
When organisms in an area depend on each other for resources to survive.
What resources do plants need?
Oxygen, water, light, carbon dioxide, warmth, minerals
What resources do animals need?
Food, water, oxygen
What resources do plants and animals both need?
Water and oxygen
Food web definition -
Shows feeding relationships between organisms of a community.
Food chain definition -
Shows where the energy is transferred in a food chain
A pyramid of numbers -
Shows how many animals or organisms we’re talking about.
A pyramid of biomass -
Shows how much the creatures at each level would weigh.
Main ways energy is lost -
- Through waste minerals
- Through living processes such as movement or growth. This energy is supplied by respiration.
- Keeping the body at its correct temperature (body heat is always lost to the surroundings).
How to improve the efficiency of a food chain -
- Reduce the number of stages
- Limit an animal’s movement
- Keep it warm
- Use plant hormones to regulate the ripening of fruit
Abiotic factors -
Non living factors that impact the distribution of organisms e.g temperature, water availability, light availability, pollution
Biotic factors
Are living factors that impact the community e.g predation and competition
Competition meaning
Fighting over resources to survive such as food, water and shelter
Limited resource
Resources that are not unlimited in an ecosystem so they run out like water