Adaptations, Interdependence and Competition

State the levels of organisation in an ecosystem.

Individual, population, community, ecosystem.

What is an ecosystem?

The interaction between the living components and non-living components.

what is habitat?

the environment in which an organism lives

what is a community?

the populations of all different species that live in the same habitat

what is a population?

the total number of organisms of the same species living in the same geographical area

State the factors that plants may compete for.

* Light
* Space
* Water
* Mineral ions from soil

State the factors that animals might compete for.

* Food and water
* Mates
* Territory

What is intraspecific competition?

Competition within a species.

What is interspecific competition?

Competition between different species.

What is interdependence?

Different species in a ecosystem depend on each other for various resources, if one species is removed, the whole community may be affected.

What is a stable community?

A community in which all the biotic factors (the different species) and all abiotic factors are balanced so that population sizes remain relatively constant.

What are abiotic factors?

Non-living factors.

State the abiotic factors that may affect an ecosystem.

* Light intensity
* Temperature
* Moisture
* Soil pH and mineral content
* Wind intensity and direction
* Carbon dioxide level
* Oxygen level

State the biotic factors that may affect an ecosystem.

* food availability
* new predators
* competition between species
* new pathogens

Why might light intensity affect an ecosystem?

Different species of plants may have different optimum light intensities for growth.

Why does temperature affect an ecosystem?

Different species of plants and animals may have different optimum temperatures for growth and survival.

distribution of species may change

How does soil pH affect an ecosystem?

Certain plants may grow better in either alkaline or acidic soil. Soil pH may affect the appearance of the plant eg. colour of hydrangea.

How does moisture level affect an ecosystem?

Many plants cannot survive in waterlogged soil as their roots cannot respire. Certain plants are adapted to high moisture levels.

How does wind intensity affect an ecosystem?

Plant seeds are more likely to germinate in locations with lower wind intensity, which may also attract animals that depend on the plant to live nearby.

How does soil mineral content affect an ecosystem?

Most plants require a high level of soil minerals to grow well.

Give an example of a type of plants that have adapted to low soil mineral content.

Carnivorous plants catch insects to compensate for the low level of soil mineral content.

How does carbon dioxide concentration affect an ecosystem?

Higher carbon dioxide concentration leads to more plant growth.

How does oxygen concentration affect an ecosystem?

Aquatic animals cannot survive in areas with low oxygen concentration.

State the biotic factors that may affect an ecosystem.

* Food
* New predators
* New pathogens
* Competition

What are adaptations?

Features that enable organisms to survive in their living environment.

What are organisms living in extreme environments called?

Extremophiles.

Give 3 examples of extreme living environments.

* High temperature
* High pressure
* High salt concentration

State an example of where extremophile

In deep sea vents.

adaptations of camels

* adapted for hot and dry conditions of the desert

structural adaptations:

* hump on their back- store of fat which is a thermal insulator so storing fat in one place allows heat loss from other parts of camels body reduces water loss from sweating. metabolic reactions can be used to produce water from the fat


* thick coat on upper surface of body- this insulates the camel from the heat of sun reducing water loss from sweating
* inside of a camels mouth is leathery means they can chew desert plants which often grace thorns and these plants are a good source of water
* long eyelashes to keep dust out of their eyes
* close nostrils to keep dust out of their nose
* camels have wide feet which prevents the camel from skiing into the sand

Functional adaptions:

* camels produce concentrated urine and dry faeces reducing water loss
* can tolerate very large changes in their body temperature helps them to cope with intense heat of the desert

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examples of Behavioural adaptation

animals in dessert are nocturnal (active in the night) so they avoid heat of day

live in burrows underground to keep them call and protect them from predators

arctic fox adaptations

structural adaptations:

* thick fur provides insulation and reduces heat loss to the air
* fur on the soles of the feet this reduces heat loss to the ice and snow
* small ears reducing the SA of the fox reducing heat loss
* coat provides effective camouflage to help hunt for prey

cacti adaptations

adapted to living in dry conditions

* very small leaves reducing water leaves
* spines protect cactus from animals
* extensive and shallow roots allowing cacti to absorb as much water as possible after rainfall
* store water in stem- survive many months without rain

what are structural adaptations

adaptations of body shape or structure

Functional adaptions

adaptations to the body functions of an organism

Behavioural adaptation: 

adaptations to the animals lifestyle or behaviours