Unit 1B - the living world (1. ecosystems) Flashcards
what is an ecosystem
natural system made up of plants animals and the environment.
what are biotic components
the living features of an ecosystem
what are abiotic components
non living environmental factors such as soil water, light
what are small local ecosystems called
woodland, hedge grow
what are large scale global ecosystems called
tropical rainforest (TRF), deciduous woodland. global rainforests are called biomes
what are producers
convert energy from the environment into sugars. most obvious prducers are plants
what are consumers
get energy from the sugars produced by the producers. a pond snail is an example as it will eat the plant in order to get energy.
what are decomposers
break down plant and animal material and return the nutrients to the soil. e.g. bacteria and fungi
what is the food chain
shows the direct links between producers and consumers in a simple diagram
what is a food web
shows all the connections between producers and consumers in a much more complex way.
what is a frog tadpoles energy source
microscopic plants, algae
what is a algae energy source
sunlight
what is a sticklebacks energy source
tadpoles, young fish, beetles
what is a heron energy source
fish, frogs and tadpoles, large insects
what is a perch energy source
small fish, beetles, water flees.
what causes an ecosystem to change
global scale changes(climate change)
local scale changes(hedge removal)
how can human activity effect ecosystems
once a component has been changed it can have some serious knock-on effects on the ecosystem. wood cut down causes habitats to be destroyed.
agricultural fertilisers can lead to an increase in the growth of algae which depletes oxygen and fish may die.
what are the different types of biomes
tropical rainforests or tundras
why do most global ecosystems form broad latitudinal belts across the world
because of climate and characteristics of ecosystems are largely determined by global atmospheric circulation
