Yr9 Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an abiotic element of an ecosystem?
Elements that are non living but affect the system eg. Water or soil
What is a biotic element of an ecosystem?
The living components of an ecosystem eg. A tree or badger
What is a producer?
An organism that converts energy from environment into sugars
(They produce their own food)
What is a consumer?
An organism that gets energy from the sugar produced by producers
What is a decomposer?
An organism that breaks down plant and animal matter, returning nutrients to the soil
What are food chains and food webs?
They show links between producers and consumers
Food webs are more complex
What is humus?
Soil composed of decomposed plant and animal matter
What is the climate of rainforests?
Warm and wet
- avg. 27°c and ~2000mm rain per year
What are soils like in rainforests?
Infertile, with most nutrients at surface
This is because litter decomposes quickly due to warm humid conditions, and rain can wash away lots of nutrients before it becomes part of the soil
Trees often gave shallow roots to make use of nutrients
What is nutrient cycling?
Where nutrients move through biomass, litter and soil in a cycle
Define a global ecosystem
A very large ecological area on the earths surface, with flora and fauna adapted to their environment.
What are the layers of a rainforest?
- shrub layer
- sub/under canopy
- canopy
- emergents
What is an ecosystem?
A community of plants and animals sharing an environment with non living things
