Ecosystems & Biodiversity

Vocabulary flashcards covering key ecological terms, ecosystem components, population growth factors, and biodiversity from Cambridge O Level Biology.

Population

A group of organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same time.

Community

All of the populations living in the same area at the same time.

Interdependence

The reliance of species within a community on each other for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal, etc., where removing one species can affect the whole community.

Habitat

The place where an organism lives.

Ecosystem

A unit containing the community of organisms and their environment, interacting together, including all biotic and abiotic factors.

Biotic Factors

All the living components in an ecosystem, such as plants and animals.

Abiotic Factors

All the non-living components in an ecosystem, such as light intensity, mineral ions, and water availability.

Levels of Organisation in an Ecosystem

The hierarchical levels of organisation comprising an individual member of a species, a population, a community, and an ecosystem.

Factors Controlling Population Growth

The four factors that control population growth in most organisms: food supply, competition, predation, and disease.

Biodiversity

The number of different species that live in a particular area.

Reasons for Habitat Destruction

Main human causes of habitat destruction, which include clearing land for farming and housing, extraction of natural resources, and marine pollution.

Eutrophication

A process that can occur when fertilisers from intensively farmed fields enter waterways, causing a huge decrease in biodiversity as aquatic species die from lack of oxygen.