Ecosystem

Cards (30)

  • ecosystem
    interaction of a community of living organisms and non-living factors of their environment
  • competition
    occurs between different species affecting population sizes
  • what do they compete for
    light, space, food, mates, territory
  • what happens to less competitive species
    move to another area
    adapt new survival strategies
    become extinct in that area
  • species
    organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
  • habitat
    the place where an organism lives
  • population
    all the members of the same species within a habitat
  • community
    all the different populations within the same habitat
  • interdependence
    each species depend on each other
  • stable community
    all the species and the environment factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant
  • producer
    plants or algae which photosynthesise to produce biomass for the rest
  • consumer
    all animals above the producer
  • decomposers
    bacteria or fungi which break down dead organisms
    release enzymes onto the dead matter the consume the broken down substances
    plants absorb the decomposed nutrients through its roots
  • abiotic are non-living
    light intensity
    temperature
    carbon dioxide levels
    oxygen level
    soil pH and mineral content
  • biotic are living
    new predator arriving
    competition
    new pathogens
    availability of food
  • what is the water cycle
    provides fresh water for plants and animals on land before draining into the seas. Water is continuously evaporated and precipitated
  • what is meant by the carbon cycle
    living things are made up of things they take from the world around them which is then passed up the food chain or returned to the environment
  • what is responsible for decomposition
    microorganisms (bacteria/fungi)
  • four limiting factors for decay
    temp - faster enzyme activity
    oxygen - many respire aerobically to survive
    water - faster in moist environments
    number of organisms - more microorganisms
  • what is biogas decay
    sludge waste digested anaerobically to be burned as fuel biogas generators must be kept at a constant temp can’t be stored as a liquid
  • what is global warming
    Gases in the atmosphere naturally act as an insulating layer, absorbing
    most of the energy that would normally be radiates out into space.
    This increases the temperature of Earth. If this didn't happen earth would be cold at night with nothing holding in the temp.
    The gases are called greenhouse gases, and increasing amounts of them means the earth gets increasingly warmer.
  • what problem can global warming cause
    increase in temp seawater to expand and ice melts
    distribution of animals to change
    change in migration patterns
    biodiversity reduces
  • Trophic levels
    the different stages of a food chain consisting of one or more organisms with a specific role
  • tropic level 1
    producers - make there own food by photosynthesis
  • Tropic level 2
    primary consumers - herbivores only eat plants and algae
  • Trophic level 3
    secondary consumers - carnivores meat eaters
  • Trophic level 4
    tertiary consumers - apex predators
  • food security
    having enough food to feed a population
  • causes of food insecurity
    population increase
    new pathogens in crops (famine)
    high input cost (too expensive)
  • how are animals kept to make food production more efficient
    Limiting movement and keeping them in a temperature controlled environment can maximise energy used for growth. Protein rich food also maximises growth -increased food produced.