Unit 3 - Key Area 1 - Ecosystems Flashcards
Define the term species
A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
Define the term biodiversity
The degree of variation that exists among all living organisms on Earth
Define the term population
All the members of a single species that live within a geographical area
Define the term producer
An organism which can produce its own energy by photosynthesis
Define the term consumer and describe the three types of consumers
An organism which obtain another organism.
Consumers can be one of the following:
- Herbivores eat only plant material
- Carnivores eat only animal material
- Omnivores eat both plant and animal material
Define the term predator
Predators are organisms which catch and consume other organisms
Define the term prey
Prey are the organism which are caught and eaten
What is a food chain?
A food chain represents the feeding interactions between organisms. The arrows show the direction of energy flow
What is a food web?
A food web represents all the feeding interactions between organisms in an area
Describe the interactions of organisms in food webs
Due to changing factors within a food web, organisms can increase or decrease. Some organisms can be completely removed.
The removal and introduction of a species in a food web can have an effect on other organisms causing them to increase or decrease in number.
- An increase in the remaining organism could be due to less competition for resources or less predation.
- A decrease in the remaining organisms could be due to reduced food options or they could become a predators only source of prey.
Describe ecosystems
An ecosystem describes a natural biological unit that is made up of both living and non-living parts
Describe habitats
A habitat is the place where an organism lives
Describe communities
A community is all the organisms living together in a habitat.
What is a niche?
A niche is a role that an organism plays within a community.
It relates to the resources required in its ecosystem, such as light and nutrients available and its interactions with other organisms in the community.
It involves competition and predation and the conditions it can tolerate such as temperature
What is competition?
Competition in ecosystems occur when resources are in short supply. There are two types of competition:
- Interspecific Competition
- Intraspecific Competition
