ADAPTATIONS, INTERDEPENDENCE AND COMPETITION

• abundance


  a measure of how common or rare a particular type of organism is in a given environment
• adaptations


  special features that make and organism particularly well suited to the environment where it lives
• community


  a group of interdependent living organisms in an ecosystem
• competition


  the process by which living organisms compete with each other for limited resources such as food, light or reproductive partners
• distribution


  where particular types of organisms are found within an environment
• extremophile


  an organism that can survive and reproduce in extreme condidtions
• interdependence


  the network of relationships between different organisms within a community for example each species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal etc.
• mean


  the arithmetical average of a series of numbers
• median


  the middle value in a list of numbers
• mode


  the number which occurs most often in a set of data
• quadrat


  a sample area used for measuring the abundance and distribution of organisms in the field
• quantitative sampling


  records the numbers of organisms rather that just the type
• range


  the maximum and the minimum values for the interdependent or dependent variables - important in ensuring that any patterns are detected
• sample size


  the size of a sample in an investigation
• transect


  a measured line or area along which ecological measurements are made
• ecosystem


  a community of organisms
• abiotic factor


  the non - living parts of an environment e.g. soil or sun
• habitat


  an area that is inhabited by a particular species
• biotic factor


  the living parts of an environment
• abiotic fators


  light intensity: affects the distribution of plants and animals

  temperature: rate limiting factor for photosynthesis/growth in plants

  moisture levels: important as if there's no water there will be little life

  soil pH and mineral content: affects the distribution of plants

  wind intensity and direction: affects the shape of trees/landscapes and plants transpire faster

  oxygen availabilty: warm water will dissolve oxygen

  carbon dioxide availability: rate limiting factor for photosythesis and plant growth
• biotic factors


  food availabilty: food webs

  new pathogens or parasites: myxomatosis

  new predators: biological control

  competition between species: competing for food, shelter, mates and territory
• myxomatosis

  a disease that was introduced by humans to the rabbit population and killed millions of rabbits
• animals compete for: food, water, shelter, territory, and mating partners
• plants compete for: sunlight, water, space, pollinators, nutrients and mineral ions
• what gets sprayed on crops?

  water: reduces competition for water which is needed for photosynthesis - plants grow better and increased yeild

  fertiliser: reduces competition for mineral ions so plants grow better and increases yeild

  herbicide/weed killer: reduces competiton for all factors by unwanted plants
• adaptations of plants

  trees are dormant: taking in little water and nutrients from the soil

  leaves have been lost: sunlight can reach the woodland floor

  autumn leaves have decomposed: soil is nutrient rich

  flowers die back before trees come into leaf
• when do these flowers flower?

  snowdrops: late winter - early spring

  crocus: spring

  daffodils: spring
• producer


  a living organism that makes it's own food by using sunlight, water and carbon dioxide
• consumer


  a living organism that eats other organisms for energy
• omnivores


  a consumer that eats both plants and animals
• predator


  an animal that hunts and kills other animals for food
• tertiary consumers


  top carnivores that eat secondary consumers
• prey


  an animal that is hunted and killed by other animals
• carnivores


  consumers that only eat animals
• apex predator


  top predator that is not preyed upon by other animals in the ecosystems
• food chain


  a sequence of organisms in an ecosytems in which each organism feeds on the one below it in the chain
• trophic levels


  each step in a food chain or food web where energy is transferred from one level to the next
• primary consumer


  a consumer that eats producers and are herbivores
• herbivore


  a consumer that only eats plants
• seconday consumers


  consumers that only eat primary consumers