Ecosystems and Biodiversity

• what is a habitat?


  the place where an organism lives
• Population is all the organisms of one species in a habitat
• Community?

  all the different species in a habitat
• Ecosystem - all the organisms living in a particular area and the abiotic conditions
• Biodiversity is the variety of different species of organisms on Earth, or within an ecosystem
• High biodiversity is important, it makes sure that ecosystems are stable because different species depend on each other for things like shelter and food
• Environmental conditions that affect organisms are: light intensity, temperature, moisture level, soil pH
• Bioaccumulation - at each stage of a food chain concentration of pesticide increases
• What is eutrophication?


  when pesticides get in the water, causing the excess growth of algae which uses up oxygen so there is non left for the fish, which die
• Food chains always start with a producer
• Each bar on a pyramid of numbers shows the number of organisms at that stage of the food chain
• Pyramids of energy show the energy transferred to each trophic level in a food chain
• Only 10% of total energy is passed to each tropic level