KA 1: Ecosystems

• What is biodiversity?


  Biodiversity is the number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region.
• What is the area in which an organism lives called?


  The area in which an organism lives is called its habitat.
• What constitutes a population in ecological terms?


  All the organisms of one kind (species) make up a population.
• What is a community in an ecosystem?


  All the organisms in an ecosystem make up a community.
• What does an ecosystem consist of?

  An ecosystem consists of all the organisms (the community) living in a particular area and the non-living components with which the organisms interact.
• What is a niche in ecological terms?

  the role that an organism plays within a community.
• What factors are included in an organism's niche?


  A niche includes the use an organism makes of the resources in its ecosystem and its interactions with other organisms in the community.
• What are biotic factors in an ecosystem?


  Factors in an ecosystem related to living things are called biotic factors.
• Can you give examples of biotic factors?


  Examples of biotic factors include competition for resources, food availability, predation, disease, and grazing.
• What are abiotic factors in an ecosystem?


  Non-living factors in an ecosystem are called abiotic factors.
• Can you provide examples of abiotic factors?


  Examples of abiotic factors include moisture level, pH, light intensity, and temperature.
• How do human influences affect environments?

  Human influences affect national and global environments through pollution, habitat destruction, desertification, endangered species, and overfishing.
• What are producers in an ecosystem?


  Organisms which make their own food are called producers.
• What process do green plants use to make their own food?

  Green plants make their own food using light energy from the sun in a process called photosynthesis.
• What are consumers in an ecosystem?


  Organisms which obtain food by feeding on other organisms are called consumers.
• What is the feeding relationship between organisms called?

  The feeding relationship between organisms is called a food chain.
• What do the arrows in a food chain represent?

  The arrows in a food chain point from the food source to the feeder and show the direction of energy flow.
• What is a food web?


  The interconnection of many food chains is called a food web.
• What type of energy is transferred at each stage in a food chain/web?

  The type of energy transferred at each stage in a food chain/web is chemical energy.
• What happens to energy at each stage in a food chain/web?

  At each stage in the food chain/web, some of the energy is lost in heat production, waste, or movement.
• What generally happens to the number of organisms as you move along a food chain?

  In general, as you move along a food chain from producers through consumers, the number of organisms decreases.
• What does a pyramid of numbers represent

  A pyramid of numbers represents the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain.
• What is a pyramid of energy?


  A graphical representation of a food chain which shows the relative quantity of energy (kJ/m²/year) at each stage.
• What shape do pyramids of energy have?

  Pyramids of energy have a true pyramid shape, with the energy at each level smaller than the stage below it.
• What happens to biomass and energy as you move along a food chain? biomass and energy always decrease because energy is lost at each step in the food chain.
• What resources do organisms compete for in ecosystems?

  Organisms are in competition in ecosystems for resources such as food, minerals, water, and light.
• What is interspecific competition?


  Interspecific competition occurs when individuals of different species compete for similar resources in an ecosystem.
• What is intraspecific competition?

  Intraspecific competition occurs when individuals of the same species compete for exactly the same resources.
• Why is intraspecific competition more intense than interspecific competition?


  Intraspecific competition is therefore more intense than interspecific competition because individuals of the same species compete for exactly the same resources.
• What is the definition of a species?


  A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
• What does biodiversity refer to?

  Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
• What is a population in ecological terms?

  A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.
• What is the role of a producer in an ecosystem?

  A producer is an organism that can make its own food through photosynthesis.
• What is the definition of a consumer?


  An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms.
• What is the difference between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores?

  Herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat animals, and omnivores eat both plants and animals.
• What is a predator?


  An organism that hunts and kills other organisms for food.
• What is prey?

  Prey is an organism that is hunted and eaten by a predator.
• What is a food chain?

  A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.
• What is a food web?

  A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.
• What constitutes an ecosystem?

  An ecosystem consists of all the organisms living in a particular habitat and the non-living components with which they interact.