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what is a biotic factor
living factor
what is an abiotic factor
a non living factor
give 4 examples of a biotic factor
fungi plants animals bacteria
what are 4 examples of an abiotic factor
air, light, water, temperature
what is ecology
the study of the interactions among and between orgamisms and their abiotic environment
what is a biosphere
the part of earth that contains all ecosystems
what is a biome
a large region with same plant life and climate
what is an ecosystem
A community and its nonliving surroundings
what is a community
A population that lives together in a defined area
what is a population
A group of organisms of one type that live in the same area
what is an organism
An individual living thing
what is a species
a group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring
what does a classification key do
it’s used to identify an unknown organism typically uses a series of linked questions highlighting contrasting characteristics
what is the fundamental niche
it describes the full range of conditions and resources in which a species could survive and reproduce
what is the realised niche
It describes the actual conditions and resources which a species exist due to biotic interactions
what is resource partitioning
its where species alter their use of niche to avoid competition by dividing resources among them
why do ecologists investigate ecosystems?
to know what species exist and where they are located
what is sustainability
the use and manage of resources that allows full natural replacement of the resources exploited and full recovery of the ecosystem affected by their extaction and use
why are EIA’s (environmental impact assessment) conducted
to decide whether a project should go ahead or not
what 8 factors impact a population size
disease, climate, predation, food, temperature, sunlight, reproduction, rainfall
what are limiting factors
factors that restrict the populations continued growth
what are plants limiting factors
light, nutrients, water, carbon dioxide, temperature
what are the limiting factors of animals
space, foods, water, mates.
, predation, disease
what is a carrying capacity
where a population has an upper limit to the numbers that can be sustained in a given environment
what are examples of adverse conditions
too hot/cold, arid, not enough sunlight, poor soils
what is the benefit of safety in numbers
less chance of any individual being eaten
what is the benefit of predator co-operation hunting
there are more chance of a successful kill
what are the 2 limitations to population growth
density independent or density dependant
what are examples of density independent
climate, soil, fertility, amount of sunlight
what are examples of density dependent
competition for food, territory, finding a mate, disease
what is carrying capacity
the maximun number of a species or ‘load’ that can be sustainably supported by a given area/habitat/environment
when does exponential growth occur
when limiting factors are not restricting the growth of the population
what are decomposers
organisms which break down dead plants and animals and their waste
what do trophic levels show
they show where organisms are in the food chain
what is dynamic equilibrium
when the system is in a steady state which is achieved by self regulation
what is positive feedback
when the original change creates even more change which upsets the balance of a steady state and creates a chain reaction which causes a disproportionately large response
what is negative feedback
when certain parts of the system change when other parts change so that it remains the same
what is an example of positive feedback
climate change
what is the first law of thermodynamics
energy cannot be created or destroyed
what is the second law of thermodynamics
when energy is transferred some energy must be degraded down into a less useful form, energy transfer is not very efficient
what does of numbers of biomass show
the total number of individual organisms at each level in the food level in the food chain of an ecosystem
what does an ecological pyramid show
the number of organisms in each trophic level
the mass of all organisms in each layer(biomass)
the amount of energy in each layer(productivity)
what does a pyramid of biomass show
the total amount of biomass in each trophic level also known as the standing stock which is affected by seasonal variations
what do pyramids of energy/productivity show
the flow of energy in an ecosystem
why do we use pyramids of biomass and not pyramids of numbers
beacuse it overcomes the problem of an inverted pyramid of number
whats an advantage of a pyramid of number
simple and easy way to compare changes in population numbers with time of season
whats are 3 disadvantages of pyramids of numbers
can be inverted
numbers can be too great to represent accurately
does not allow for immature forms
what is the advantage of a pyramid of biomass
it overcomes the inverted triangle problem in a pyramis of numbers
what are 2 disadvantges of a pyramid of biomss
only uses a sample of the population so does not measure biomass accurately
orgnanisms must be killed to measure dry mass
what are 3 advantages of a pyramid of energy
allows for rate of production over time
allows comparison of different ecosystems
never inverted pyramids of energy
what are 2 disadvantages of a pyramid of energy
issues of where to place decomposers
issues of consumers at more than one trophic level
time consuming to measure growth and reproduction over time
what is gross primary productivity (1)
the conversion of energy into biomass for a given period of time measured as productivity
what is gross primary productivity in plants
photosythesis
what is net primary prowhat is net prductivity
the rate at which plants accumulate dry mass(actual plant growth)
what is net primary productivity measured in
unit area per unit time
how do you calculate net primary productivity
NNP=GPP-R
what does the net primary productivity calculation show
the gain by producers in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time after allowing for respiration losses
what is gross secondary productivity
a measure of all the food an animal eats
what is net secondary productivity
the total gain in biomass per unit area per unit time by consumers after allowing for losses to respiration
what is energy assimilation
absorption/digestion
what is bioaccumulation
the process by which toxins build up in individual organisms over time
what is biomagnification
the process by which toxins are passed from one trophic level to the next(increase in concentration) within a food web
what are the organic stores of carbon
organisms(biomass)
what are 4 inorganic stores of carbon
atmosphere
soil
fossil fuels
oceans
what is zonation
where communities change over a distance.
what is succession
when communities change over time
what is a sere
the change from the earliest community to the final community
what do disturbances do
creates gaps that can be colonised by piorneer species within the surrounding community
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