Unit 3 Flashcards
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the term used to describe the variety of species present in an ecosystem.
What does an ecosystem consist of?
An ecosystem consists of all the organisms (the community) living in a particular habitat and the non-living components with which the organisms interact.
Definition of a niche
A niche is the role that an organism plays within a community.
Competition
Competition in ecosystems occurs between organisms when resources are in short supply.
Intraspecific competition
Intraspecific competition involves organisms of the SAME species competing for the same resources in an ecosystem.
E.g. mates, food, light, nutrients, space
Interspecific competition
Interspecific competition involves individuals of DIFFERENT species competing for one or a few resources in an ecosystem.
E.g. food, living space
Producer
An organism which produces its own food by photosynthesis.
Consumer
A consumer is an organism that has to consume food to gain energy.
E.g. carnivore, herbivore or omnivore.
Population
The number of individuals within A species living in a particular area.
Community
A community is all of the living organisms living in an ecosystem.
Carnivore
A carnivore is an organism that only consumes animal material.
Herbivore
A herbivore is an organism that only consumes plant material.
Omnivore
An omnivore is an organism that will consume both plant and animal material to obtain amino acids for protein synthesis.
Biotic factors
Biotic factors are LIVING factors which can affect biodiversity in an area.
Examples:
- competition for resources
- disease
- grazing
- predation
Competition for resources, disease, food availability, grazing and predation are biotic factors.
Abiotic factors
Abiotic factors are NON-LIVING factors which can affect biodiversity in an area.
Examples:
- light intensity
- soil moisture
- pH
- temperature
Indicator species
Indicator species are species that by their presence or absence indicate environmental quality or levels of pollution in an area.
E.g. lichen
Photosynthesis - raw materials
Water, carbon dioxide
Photosynthesis - products
Oxygen, glucose
Photosynthesis energy source
Energy comes from sunlight.
The Energy (sunlight) is captured by chlorophyll.
In photosynthesis light energy is captured by chlorophyll and turned into chemical energy by a series of enzyme controlled reactions.
Photosynthesis equation
Light glucose
CO2 + H2O ———————————-> C6H12O6 + O2
Chlorophyll
Enzymes
Photosynthesis 3 essential requirements
Light, chlorophyll, enzymes
Photosynthesis process summary
In photosynthesis, light energy is captured by chlorophyll and turned into chemical energy by a series of enzyme controlled reactions.
Photosynthesis- stage 1: the light reactions stages explained
1) light energy is trapped by chlorophyll in the chloroplasts.
2) this energy is then converted into chemical energy stored in molecules of ATP, these are passed onto the second stage.
3) in the same set of reactions, water molecules are split into hydrogen and oxygen molecules.
4) excess oxygen diffuses from the cell and is released into the air as a waste product.
5) the hydrogen attaches to hydrogen acceptor molecules which carry it to the next stage.
Photosynthesis- stage 2: carbon fixation
Carbon fixation also take space in the chloroplasts. This energy in the ATP, made in stage 1, is used to combine the hydrogen (from stage 1) with carbon dioxide.
This produces the sugar glucose.
This is all controlled by enzymes.
Photosynthesis- stage 2: carbon fixation
Equation
Enzymes
H2 + CO2 ————————> C6H1206
ATP
What type of competition is more intense?
Intraspecific because animals of the same species are competing for all the same resources.
Whereas interspecific competition involves animals of different species competing for a few of the same resources
Predator
An animal that hunts other animals for food.
Prey
An ANIMAL that is hunted by another animal.
(Plants are not prey)?
Food chain
Shows the feeding relationships between individuals.
Food web
A diagram to show all of the interlinking food chains within an ecosystem.
Ecosystem
An ecosystem consists of all the organisms (the community) living in a particular habitat and the non-living components with which the organisms interact.
What factors determine an organisms niche?
Feeding habits
Habitat
Place in the food chain
Life history