1. Ecosystems

• Biodiversity is the number of different species present in an ecosytem
• If there are lots of spices present, biodiversity is high and this suggests that the ecosystem is healthy.
• If there are only a few species present, biodiversity is low and this suggests that the ecosystem is in danger.
• An ecosystem is a natural biological unit made up of living and non living parts.
• An ecosystem is composed of a number of habitats and communities.
• A habitat is the place where an organism lives.
• A community is all the living organisms that live within a habitat.
• A population is a group of living organisms of the same species.
• A species is a group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
• Some species are closely related enough to produce offspring but they will not be fertile.
• A producer is an organism which produces its own food.
• Mostly green plants that produce food through photosynthesis will be the first in any food chain.
• A consumer is an organism that gets its own energy by feeding on other organisms
• A herbivore is a consumer that gets its energy by feeding on plants.
• A carnivore is a consumer that gets its energy by feeding on animals.
• A omnivore is a consumer that gets its energy by feeding on plants and animals.
• Food chains start with producers.
• Energy moves onto the primary consumer and then moves onto the secondary consumer.
• The arrow in a food chain shows the direction of energy flow.
• A nice is the role an organism plays within its ecosystem and how it interacts.
• Any resource that is limited in supply will be competed for.
• Interspecific competition is competition between different species.
• Intraspecific competition is competition between the same species.
• Individuals of the same species need exactly the same resources as each other. This means that competition is greater within species than between species.
• Individuals within species compete for food, water, mates, light and territory.