Ecosystems - Science

• An abiotic factor is a non-living factor of the environment.
• A biotic factor is a living factor of the environment.
• Commensalism is a relationship where one organism benefits and another is unharmed.
• A community is all living organisms in an ecosystem.
• Competition is a relationship between organisms that are trying to use the same limited resource.
• Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their non-living environment.
• An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microorganisms), with the nonliving components of their environment (air, water, and mineral soil) interacting as a system.
• Ectothermic is a term that defines animals who obtain body heat from outside their body.
• Endothermic is a term that describes animals whose bodies maintain a constant internal temperature by producing metabolic heat.
• Endothermic is a term which defines animals who generate heat within their body.
• Homeostasis refers to an animal's ability to regulate its internal conditions so they remain relatively stable despite changes in external conditions.
• An environment is all the factors in an organism’s surrounding that affect its survival.
• Interdependance is a relationship between organisms, where each affects the others survival.
• Mutualism is a relationship between two organisms living closely together, where each benefit.
• Parasitic relationships are when one species lives on or inside another, causing damage.
• Predation is when one species kills and eats another.
• Parasitism is a relationship where one organism lives on or in another organism and feeds off it.
• Prey is an animal hunted by another animal.
• Photosynthesis is the process by which plants make their own food.
• Predation is a relationship where one organism kills and eats another organism.
• • Explain why plants don’t grow at the bottom of the sea.

  Plants need sunlight to grow, and there is no sunlight at the bottom of the sea. Water absorbs and scatters sunlight, the deeper depth, the less sunlight there is.
• • What is the source of energy used by plants?

  The sun.
• • Explain the difference between something that is living and something that is dead.

  Something that is dead was once living.
• • Explain the difference between something that is living and something that is dead.

  Something that is living still has some form of conscious thought and their main organs are still working, such as the heart or brain. Something that is dead was once alive, but died due to either aging or some other form of death – illness, injury, etc.
• • Explain the difference between something that is living and something that is non-living.

  Something that is non-living was never, and will never be alive.
• • Describe how bushfires can sometimes be a good thing for an ecosystem.

  Bushfires can play a role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health. They can clear dead vegetation, making space for new growth. They break down organic matter into ashes, which returns nutrients to the soil. Some trees have fire-resistant seeds that require heat from a fire to germinate.
• • Name other types of energy, besides electrical.

  Wind energy, solar energy, hydropower (water energy)
• • Define abiotic factors

  Refer to the non-living conditions of the environment.
• • Define biotic factors

  Refer to how living things affect the conditions of the environment.
• • Explain abiotic factors

  Living things have optimal conditions they require in order to survive. Each species has adapted in order to live in a certain set of optimal conditions; therefore, abiotic factors influence what organisms are able to occupy that ecosystem.
•  6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2

  • Photosynthesis as a chemical equation.
• Abiotic factors

  • Water
  • Temperature
  • Fire
  • Light
  • Soil type, pH levels
  • Oxygen levels
  • Salinity
  • Humidity
• • Explain biotic factors

  Each of the different types of life has different kinds of biotic factors. Biotic factors are the living (and dead) factors and organisms which live in an ecosystem, whereas biotic factors are the complete opposite.
• Biotic factors

  • Plants
  • Microorganisms
  • Predators
  • Friends/family
• Sunlight

  • Plants require sunlight for photosynthesis
  • Light intensity, duration and quality of sunlight can affect plant growth and development
• Temperature

  • Different plants have different temperature requirements
  • Extreme temperatures (hot or cold) can stress or kill plants
• Water

  • Water is needed for photosynthesis
  • Too much or too little is harmful for a plant
• Soil pH

  • Soil pH affects the availability of nutrients for plants
  • Most plants require a soil pH of 6-7
• Nutrients

  • Plants require nitrogen phosphorus and potassium to grow
• Wind

  • Wind can affect plants in several ways: causing water loss through transpiration, physical damage to leaves and stems, and spreading pollen and seeds