Edexcel GCSE 9-1 Biology - SB9: Ecosystems and Material Cycles

Paper 2 Specification: https://www.wardleacademy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Biology-KS4-GCSE-Specification.pdf (pearson spec isn't working today for some daft reason)

abundance

A measure of how common something is.

community

All the different organisms living and interacting with one another in a particular area.

ecosystem

An area in which all the living organisms and all the non-living physical factors in an area form a stable relationship that needs no input from outside the area to remain stable.

food web

A diagram of interlinked food chains. It shows how the feeding relationships in a community are interdependent.

habitat

The place in which an organism lives, e.g. woodland or sea shore.

interdependent

When organisms in an area need each other for resources, e.g. for food and shelter.

population

A group of one species living in the same area.

quadrat

A square frame of known area, such as 1 m2, that is placed on the ground to get a sample of the organisms living in a small area.

resources

Something that an organism needs to stay alive such as food, water and space.

sample

A small portion of an area or population.

biomass

Mass of tissues in an organism.

biotic (factor)

Factors caused by living organisms in an environment, such as competition or predation.

pyramid of biomass

Diagram showing the amount of biomass at different trophic levels of a food chain.

Sankey diagram

A diagram showing energy transfers, where the width of each arrow is proportional to the amount of energy the arrow represents.

trophic level

Feeding level in a food chain, such as producer or primary consumer.

abiotic factors

Non-living conditions that can influence where plants or animals live (e.g. temperature, the amount of light).

adaptation

The features of an organism that enable it to do a certain function (job).

belt transect

A line in an environment along which samples are taken to measure the effect of an abiotic factor on the distribution of organisms.

distribution

The places in which a certain organism can be found in an area.

drought

Lack of water.

pollutant

A substance that harms living organisms when released into the environment.

pollution

Harm caused to the environment, such as by adding poisonous substances or by abnormally high amounts of a substance.

biodiversity

The variety of species in an area.

biotic factors

Living components (the organisms) in an ecosystem.

compete

When organisms interact to get a limited resource that they need.

competition

When organisms need the same resources as each other, they struggle against each other to get those resources. We say that they 'compete' for those things.

predation

When one animal species kills and eats another animal species.

predator-prey cycle

The regular variation in numbers of predators and numbers of prey within a feeding relationship.

aquatic

Living in water.

blackspot fungus

Pathogen of roses that is killed by acidic air pollution.

eutrophication

Adding more nutrients to an ecosystem than it normally has.

indicator species

Organism whose presence indicates the presence or absence of certain types of pollution.

invertebrate

Animal without bones, such as an insect or worm.

lichen

A mutualistic relationship between a fungus and an alga. The presence of some species can indicate different levels of air pollution.

pollution

Harm caused to the environment, such as by adding poisonous substances or abnormally high amounts of a substance.

sewage

Human waste collected for treatment.

host

An individual that can be infected by a certain pathogen.

mutualism

A relationship between individuals of different species where both individuals benefit, e.g. by getting more food or shelter than if they were on their own.

parasite

An organism that lives on or in a host organism and takes food from it while it is alive.

parasitism

A feeding relationship in which a parasite benefits and its host is harmed.

eutrophication

The addition of more nutrients to an ecosystem than it normally has.

fish farming

Growing fish in a contained area, usually to supply humans with food.

indigenous

Organisms that have always been in an area. (Another word for native.)

native

See indigenous.

non-indigenous

Organisms that have been introduced to an area where they haven't been before.

overfishing

Taking more fish from a population than are replaced by the fish reproducing so that the population number falls each year.

captivity

Keeping something in unnatural surroundings, such as animals in a zoo.

conservation

The protection of an area or species to prevent damage.

endangered

An area or species that is at great risk of destruction.

reforestation

Planting new forests where old forests have been cut down.