Adaptions

• Importance of genetic diversity

  adaptions enhance an organism's survival and enable life to exist in a wide range of environments
• Types of adaptations


  behavioural

  structural

  physiological
• Independencies


  various species of organisms that have evolved together have developed relationships with each other that are based on one or both of the species benefiting from the relationship
• Symbiosis


  a relationship between members of different species, where one or both members of the species depend on each other for survival
• Types of symbiosis


  mutualism (+/+)

  commensalism (+/0)

  parasitism (+/-)

  amensalism (0/-)
• Population density


  the ratio of organisms to physical space, it shows the relationship between a population and the size of the area
• Food Chains


  the flow of "energy" between organisms and include one organism at each level
• Food Webs


  a network of interrelated food chains
• Trophic levels

  producers

  primary consumers

  secondary consumers

  tertiary consumers
• Producers

  1st trophic level

  trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns

  phytoplankton, alge
• Primary consumers


  2nd trophic level

  feed on 1st trophic level

  herbivores

  zooplankton, whellks
• Secondary consumers

  3rd trophic level

  feed on the 2nd trophic level

  carnivores

  starfish, small fish
• Tertiary consumers


  4th trophic level

  feed on the 3rd trophic level

  snakes, eagles

  large fish, sharks
• Apex Predator


  a predator that has no natural predators, at the top of its food chain
• Keystone species


  species that have a relatively large impact or play a unique role in an ecosystem

  in some cases their presence is essential to the maintenance of an ecosystem
• Pyrophytes 


  plants that have adapted to tolerate fire

  passive - resist

  active - encourage
• Pyrophilic


  a plant of which fire is a necessary of its life cycle