Mod 3

• Habitat

  Place where an organism lives
• Ecology

  Study of the relationships (interactions) living organisms have with each other and their environment
• Abiotic

  Non-living features that include physical and chemical factors e.g. soil type, rainfall, salinity, pH, temp etc.
• Environment

  Surrounding of an organism which includes living and non-living factors
• Biotic

  Living features- how many types there are, their numbers, distribution, interactions
• Species

  Group of similar organisms that can reproduce fertile offspring
• Organism

  Living thing
• Community


  Group of different populations in an area or a habitat
• Ecosystem


  Made up of group of interacting organisms and abiotic factors that surround them
• Biome

  Large regional system characterised by major vegetation type (e.g. desert); region of earth with similar ecosystems grouped together
• Aquatic ecosystem


  An environment existing mainly in water: freshwater, saltwater or both
• Biosphere


  The part of the earth and atmosphere in which living organisms are found
• Terrestrial ecosystem

  An environment existing mainly on land
• Niche


  Place of a species within a community involving relationships with other species
• An ecosystem is the combination of all organisms (biotic factors) living in a community and all the non-living features (abiotic factors) with which they interact
• Within an ecosystem, the environment is made up of all abiotic factors
• There is a fine balance between the biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems
• The distribution of the different Australian ecosystems is due to the variation in biotic and abiotic factors found within each particular area
• Terrestrial environments are those found on land
• Land covers about 35% of the Earth’s surface
• Types of terrestrial environments

  • Tropical rainforest
  • Eucalypt forests
  • Deserts
  • Grassland
  • Shrublands
  • Farms and cities

  
• Aquatic environments are water environments
• Types of aquatic environments

  • Saltwater (marine)
  • Freshwater
• Examples of saltwater environments

  • Open seas
  • Saltwater lakes
  • Coral reefs
• Examples of freshwater environments

  • Still water such as lakes
  • Pond
  • Swamps
  • Moving water such as springs, creeks and rivers

  
• An estuarine environment is one exposed to both freshwater and salt water due to tidal changes
• Typical organisms in a desert include sparse grasses and saltbushes; the spinifex hopping mouse; insects, lizards and snakes

  
• Typical organisms in grasslands include grasses (e.g. spinifex), kangaroos, rabbits and snakes
• Typical organisms in shrublands include mallee trees, mulga; kangaroos, rabbits and snakes
• Typical organisms in woodlands include grasses, shrubs, eucalypt trees, mice, birds, insects, spiders and wallabies

  
• Typical organisms in temperate forests include eucalypt trees of various types
• Typical organisms in rainforests include a diverse number of habitats and species (e.g. birds nest ferns, palms, lianas, bracken ferns, leaf litter organisms)

  
• Organisms living in aquatic and terrestrial environments have to survive different abiotic environments
• Biotic and abiotic factors differ significantly between ecosystems
• Intraspecific competition

  Competition between the same species
• Interspecific competition

  Competition between other species
• Competition can cause some species to survive and reproduce while others are not able to compete for resources
• The population is said to be adapted to their habitat unless there are environmental changes
• Abiotic factors are NON-LIVING factors
• Abiotic factors include the physical and chemical factors of an environment