Adaptations, Interdependence and Competition

Created by

ben

Cards (24)

State the levels of organisation in a system.
Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem
State the factors animals compete for
Food
Mates
Territory
What is an ecosystem?
The interaction between the living and non-living components
State the factors that plants may compete for.
Light
Space
Water
Minerals from soil
What is intraspecific competition?
Competition with species.
What is interspecific competition?
Competition between different species.
What is interdependence?
Different species in a ecosystem depend on each other for various resources, if one species is removed, the whole community may be affected.
What is a stable community?
A community in which all the biotic factors (different species) and all abotic factors are balanced so that population size remains relatively constant.
What are abotic factors?
Non-living factors.
State the abotic factors that may affect an ecosystem.
Light intensity
Temperature
Moisture
Soil pH and mineral content
Wind intensity and direction
Carbon dioxide and oxygen levels
Why might light intensity affect an ecosystem?
Different species of plants may have optimum light intensities for growth.
Why does temperature affect an ecosystem?
Different species of plants and animals may have different optimum temperatures needed for survival.
How does soil pH affect an ecosystem?
Certain plants may grow better in either alkaline or acidic soil
Soil pH may affect the appearance of plants
How does moisture level affect an ecosystem?
Many plants cannot survive in waterlogged soil as their roots can not respire.
Certain plants are adapted to high moisture.
How does wind intensity affect an ecosystem?
Plant seeds are more likely to germinate in locations with lower wind intensity, which attracts animals that depend on the plant to live nearby.
How does soil mineral content affect an ecosystem?
Most plants require a high level of soil minerals to grow well.
Give an example of a type of plants that have adapted to low soil mineral content.
Carnivorous plants catch insects to compensate for the low level of soil mineral content.
How does carbon dioxide concentration affect an ecosystem?
Higher carbon dioxide levels lead to more plant growth due to photosynthesis.
How does oxygen concentration effect an ecosystem?
Aquatic animals can not survive in areas with low oxygen concentration.
State the biotic factors that may affect an ecosystem.
Food
New predators
New pathogens
Competition
What are adaptations?
Features that enable organisms to survive in their living environment.
What are organisms living in extreme environments called?
Extremophiles.
Give 3 examples of extreme living environments.
High temperature
High pressure
High salt concentration
State an example of where extremophile bacteria can be found.
In deep sea vents.