ecology

• define a habitat


  the place/enviroemnt where an organism lives
• define population


  the total number of organisms of the same species living in the same habitat/geographical area
• define community


  the populations of different species living in a habitat
• define ecosystem


  the interaction of a community of living organisms with the non living parts of their environment
• what do plants compete for

  light and space

  they need water and mineral ions from soil
• what do animals compete for


  animals compete for food and water

  mates

  territory (space)
• whats interdependence


  idea that all of the different species in a community depend on each other for things such as food

  shelter

  pollination

  seed dispersal
• define a stable community

  is one where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant
• what are abiotic factors

  non living factors
• examples of abiotic factors

  light intensity

  temperature

  moisture levels

  solid ph and mineral content

  wind intensity and direction

  c02 levels for plants

  oxygen levels for aquatic animals
• what is a biotic factor

  living factors
• examples of biotic factors

  availbity of food

  new predators arriving

  new pathogens

  competition within animals
• what is structural adaptation

  body structure

  shape or colour
• example of animal with structural adaptation

  camels

  live in desert

  have a thin layer of fat and a large surface area to help them lose heat

  the hump stores fat

  fat is a thermal insulator

  storing it in one place allows heat loss from other parts of the camels body
• what is a behavioural adaptation

  lifestyle or behaviour of an animal
• example of an animal with behavioural adaptations

  kangaroo rats live in deserts and are nocturnal

  this allows them to avoid the heat at daytime

  lowering their risk from predators
• what is a functional adaptation

  inside of an organisms body
• example of a functional adaptation

  brown bears hibernate over winter

  they lower their metabolism which conserves energy, so they don't have to hunt when there's not much food about
• what are extremophiles


  organisms that live in environments that are very extreme
• examples of an extreme environment

  high

  temperature

  pressure

  salt concentration
• examples of an organism thats an extremophile

  bacteria living in deep sea vents
• food chain starts with

  a producer
• whats the role of a producer

  make their own food using energy from the sun

  they are usually green lats or algae

  they make glucose by photosynthesis

  some of its used to make other biological molecules in the plant

  these biological molecules are the plants biomass
• what is biomass


  mass of living material

  its the energy stored in a plant
• what happens to energy through organisms

  energy is transferred
• levels of the food chain

  producer

  primary consumer

  secondary consumer

  tertiary consumer
• predators are


  consumers that hunt and kill
• prey is


  what is eaten/hunted by predators
• as the number of prey increases

  predators increase
• as predators increase


  prey decreases
• in a stable community what is the correlation of predators and prey


  rise and fall in cycles
• whats the carbon cycle

  returns carbon from organisms to the atmosphere as co2 to be used by plants in photosynthesis
• how does the carbon cycle start

  with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
• how is co2 removed from the atmosphere

  by green plants and algae during photosynthesis
• what is the carbon used for in photosynthesis

  to make glucose which can be turned into carbohydrates, fats and proteins
• how is the carbon returned back into the atmosphere

  when the plants and alga respire through aerobic respiration

  carbon is returned to the atmosphere as co2
• how does the carbon in plants and algae go to animals


  through feeding, there's carbon in animals, and carbon in the animals that eat the previous animal
• the carbon in animals results in

  either respires and c02 goes back to the atmosphere

  or carbon is waste products such a faeces
• what happens to carbon as a waste product

  broken down by decomposing micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi
• when happens when decomposers carry out respiration

  carbo in waste and dead remains is returned to the atmosphere as co2