Habitats and Interactions- Year 7

Habitats

the environments that animals and plants live in (and grow). The habitat needs to have food, water, shelter, a suitable temperature, mating partners for reproduction and gasses such as oxygen

Adaptation

the characteristics that assist organisms to survive and reproduce eg. the position of the eyes and nostrils on a crocodile

biotic factors

living parts of an ecosystem

abiotic factors

Abiotic factors are the non-living parts of an organism's habitat.

Adaptations enable animals to

protect themselves from predators, survive hot and cold temperatures, and wet and dry seasons, move from place to place, catch and eat food, take in oxygen and reproduce

adaptations enable plants to

protect themselves from gazing animals, take in oxygen and carbon dioxide, take in water, capture light and reproduce

where organisms live

some organisms can live almost anywhere. they are suitable habitats in wide range of areas. eg Red kangaroo

Other organisms live in very restricted areas. eg Mountain Pygmy-possum

environmental conditions

factors that influence the functioning of an organism but are not consumed or used up by the organism. many biotic and abiotic may shape or change an environment including: the temperature, where it is wet or dry, whether it is windy, the quality of the air, the water quality, the type of soil and the plants, animals, bacteria and fungi that live there

environment

used to describe all the things that affect a plant or an animal in its habitat.

ecologists

Scientists who study relationships between organisms and environments.

Biosphere

Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

interdependent organisms

depend on each other for survival. there are 3 main types of interdependence

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Parasitism

A relationship in which one organism lives on or in a host and harms it.

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

predator

An animal that hunts other animals for food

prey

Animal hunted or caught for food

competitors

two animals that eat sort of the same food and they live in the same habitat

food chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

food web

A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains

Producers

Organisms that make their own food

Consumers

Organisms that eat living producers and/or other consumers for food.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms

Sustainable ecosystem

An ecosystem that is diverse and able to provide for the needs of the organisms living there over a long period of time

traditional use of fire

indegenous australians used fire for hunting kangaroos and wallabies. Traditional burning patterns used for frequent cool fires. different places were burned at different times leaving a variety of habitats for different plants and animals. in turn this provided a variety of foods for the abriginal people

Fuel reduction burning

regular burning to reduce the amount of fuel available for a fire

fire monitoring technology

they use satellites that have 'moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer sensors' (MODIS). using observations from these satellites fires in remote areas can be identified and fires in less remote areas can be monitored.

Introducing species

Species that is not native and was brought to an area a result of human activities. we have brought many animals and plants to Australia such as: animals and plants we use for food, pet animals such as cats and dogs, animals used for transport and recreation such as the horse and camel, many ornamental plants used in parks and gardens such as Jacaranda

Dingo Fence

Dingos were a problem for farmers in the late 1800s. a fence was constructed to protect the sheep.

Rabbit Proof Fence

a fence constructed in Western Australia to keep rabbits and pests from the East out of the Western part of the country.

agriculture

The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.

Extinction

A term that typically describes a species that no longer has any known living individuals.