Unit 2 - Questions Flashcards
Distinguish between a habitat and a niche
a habitat is the location of a species, population or organism, whereas a niche is the role of a species in an ecosystem; habitat describes how the environment affects a species, whereas niche defines how a species affects the environment
Distinguish between mutualism and paratism, using examples of each
mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit (example: bees are benefitted from flowers because they get honey and it’s also spreading pollen to create more flowers), whereas paratism is a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits at the expense of the other (example: when ticks latch onto dogs and feed off of its blood).
Describe the S-shaped population curve
an s-shaped population curve shows low initial population size followed by rapid growth, leading to slower growth until it reaches its carrying capacity.
Explain the role of producers, consumers, and decomposers in the ecosystem.
producers produce food/sugar/glucose, which supports the ecosystem; consumers eat other organisms; decomposers break down dead organisms in the ecosystem
List 5 abiotic factors
Light
Temperature
Wind
pH
Soil texture
Distinguish between fundamental and realised niche
the fundamental niche describes the full range of conditions and resources in which a species could theoretically survive and reproduce, whereas the realised niche describes the actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions
Distinguish between climate and weather
Climate refers to the average and extreme states of the atmosphere over the time period of approximately 30 years. In contrast, weather refers to the state of the atmosphere at any moment in time or over a short period.
Define the term biome
Biomes are collections of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions.
