Ecosystems

• Biomass


  Energy stored in the new material (e.g. cellulose, muscle protein) made by growing organisms
• Respiration


  The process by which organisms release energy from their food
• Interdependent


  Living things relying on each other for survival, growth, and reproduction
• Decomposers


  Organisms that break down dead organic matter into simpler substances, releasing nutrients back into the environment
• Species are organisms which interbreed together to produce fertile offspring.
• Biodiversity is the variety and abundance of living organisms in an ecosystem.
• A habitat is the place an organism lives
• An ecosystem is a biological unit made up of plants, animals and their non living surroundings
• A population is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area.
• A community is all the populations of plants, animals and microbes in an ecosystem.
• A producer is an organism which can make its own food and are typically green plants
• A consumer is an organism which eats other organisms for energy
• A herbivore only eats plants
• An omnivore eats plants and animals
• A carnivore only eats animals
• A predator is an animal which hunts and eats other animals
• Prey is an animal which is hunted and eaten by other animals
• A niche is the role of an organism in its environment.
• An organisms niche is a description of three factors ;

  The abiotic factors it can tolerate, the resources that it is able to use and its interactions with other organisms.
• Interspecific competition is competition between organisms of different species
• Intraspecific competition is competition between organisms of the same species
• Interspecific competition occurs amongst organisms of different species for one or a few of the resources they require
• Intraspecific competition occurs amongst individuals of the same species and is for all resources required
• Biotic factors are the living parts of an ecosystem that can affect the distribution of organisms
• Some biotic factors include competition for resources, disease, food availability, grazing and predation.
• Abiotic factors are non living
• Some abiotic factors include light intensity, temperature, pH and moistur.
• What is a key characteristic of Producers?

  They make their own food through photosynthesis