Adaptations, Interdependence and Competition

• Communities are influenced by light intensity, temperature, humidity, soil pH, wind, salinity, CO2/O2 levels etc.
• Different plants and animals are adapted to different habitats.
• If habitat conditions change rapidly, organisms may be unable to adapt to the changes and die.
• Non-living factors include light intensity, temperature, humidity, soil pH, wind, salinity, CO2/O2 levels etc.
• Living factors include predation, disease, food availability, competition, and interdependence.
• Predation is when organisms which have lots of predators are more likely to be killed.
• Disease reduces population size by killing organisms.
• In densely populated areas, disease can spread quickly so a large proportion of the population is killed.
• Food availability is a large amount of food means that organisms can breed more successfully.
• Food shortages lead to a high death rate which results in a slow or negative population growth.
• Competition between species is when there is not enough resources for all, resulting in the death of weaker organisms.
• Organisms adapt to new conditions through evolution and natural selection.
• Extremophiles are adapted to live in extreme environments.
• Adaptations can be structural, behavioural or functional.
• Interdependence is when different species depend on each other for food, shelter, or to spread seeds.
• Competition is when there is competition for food, resources, mates and space.
• Competition promotes evolution and natural selection.
• Biotic and abiotic factors interact in an ecosystem.
• If one species is removed it can affect other species in the community.
• An ecosystem is stable when population size remains constant.
• This happens when organisms and environmental factors are balanced.
• Removing species from an ecosystem leads to imbalance.