Science Study Notes Yr 9 AT2 - Ecosystems

Ecosystems

An area where non-living and living things interact to sustain life.

Abiotic factors

Non-living factors like air quality, sunlight, and rainfall that influence ecosystems.

Biotic factors

Living factors such as predators and plants that affect ecosystems.

Biotic Interactions

Various interactions like predation, mutualism, parasitism, commensalism, and competition in ecosystems.

Human Impact on Ecosystems

Activities like pollution, deforestation, and global warming that disrupt ecosystems.

Greenhouse Effect

Trapping of heat by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Trophic Levels

Hierarchical levels in an ecosystem showing energy flow from producers to consumers.

Nitrogen Cycle

Process of converting nitrogen between different forms in the environment.

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Sunlight captured by producers and flowing through trophic levels.

Biomass

Renewable organic material from plants and animals in a given area.

Biodiversity

Range of species in a community affecting ecosystem stability.

Human Impacts on Biodiversity

Activities like land loss and overexploitation leading to biodiversity decline.

Photosynthesis

Process by which plants convert light into glucose using carbon dioxide, water, and chlorophyll.

community

Interacting group of species in a shared location.

environment

Place where organisms live.

producer

Organism that creates its own food.

predator

Organism that eats other plants/animals for energy.

jouls

SI unit of work/energy.

preservation

Study of Earth's biological diversity loss prevention.

herbivores

Organism feeding mostly on plants.

carnivores

Organism eating mostly meat.

omnivores

Organism eating plants and animals.

biotic

Living.

abiotic

Non-living.

terrestrial

Related to Earth.

aquatic

Relating to water.

respiration

Process for creating energy in living things.

decomposers

Organism breaking down dead material.

non-renewable

Sources not replenished in our lifetimes.

geothermal

Heat within the earth.

generator

Device transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Mutualism

Two organisms live together and both benefit

Parasitism

One organism lives on/off another organism (harms but doesn’t kill)

Commensalism

One organism benefits and the other is unaffected/neutral

Competition

When multiple organisms compete for the same resources

What is nitrogen?

Chemical element: colourless, odourless, non-toxic

What does nitrogen create?

forms DNA, creates amino acids and proteins

What does nitrogen do?

Makes plants grow

Nitrogen cycle

converting nitrogen between different forms in the environment through processes like fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, and denitrification.