unit 6 Flashcards
ecology
study of relationships between organisms and their environment
habitat
where you live
niche
role in the ecosystem
biosphere
all the parts of earth where living things exist
biomes
all ecosystems of similar climate
ecosystem
all biotic and abiotic
biotic factors
living things
abiotic factors
non-living things
community
all the different populations in an area (trees, sheep, grasses, insects)
populations
all of one species in one area
organism
one individual
food chain
shows energy flow through an ecosystem
food web
more complex, shows many possible food chains together
producers
make their own food
consumers
get energy by eating other organisms
autotrophs
producers
heterotrophs
consumers
herbivores
only eat plants
carnivores
eat only meat
omnivores
eat plants and animals
scavengers
eat already dead organisms
decomposers
break down dead organic material
what limits the number of organisms in each trophic level?
energy
how much energy is lost at each level?
90%
photosynthesis
autotrophs use co2 and suns energy to make food for growth and energy
cellular respiration
consumers eat food and release co2
fossil fuels
coal, oil, gas (made from organic material) release co2 when burned
density dependent factors
things that happen because of an ecosystems size
density independent factors
things that happen regardless of an ecosystem’s size
examples of density-dependent factors
-predation
-disease
-parasitism
examples of density-independent factors
-deforestation
-natural disasters
-severe frost
what are the 6 main biomes?
taiga, grasslands, tundra, deciduous forest, tropical rain forest, desert
taiga
a cool forest of conifers in the upper northern hemisphere
deciduous forest
a forest biome with many kinds of trees tat lose their leaves each autumn
tropical rain forest
a hot, humid biome near the equator with much rainfall and a wide variety of life
desert
a sandy or rocky biome with little precipitation and little plant life
tundra
a cold biome of the fr north, the ground is frozen even in summer
grasslands
a biome where grasses, not trees, are the main plant life
what is biodiversity
variety of species on earth