interactions

1. mankind's impact on the environment 2. environmental influence on the survival of organisms 3. interactions within an ecosystem 4. food chains/ food webs

negative actions

1. wasting food

2. using more electricity

3. using more water

4. creating excessive waste

wasting food

• the growth of food requires water, air, space, minerals and other resources

• the wastage of food is the wastage of these limited resources

using more electricity

• electrical energy is generated through the burning of natural gas

• using more electricity requires more fuels to be burnt

• when more fuels are burnt, more greenhouse gases are emitted, which results in the contribution to climate change

using more water

• less than 1% of the water on earth is sfe for human consumption, therefore, it is considered a limited resource

• when the consumption of water increases, the amount of drinkable water decreases

creating excessive waste

• when excessive waste is produced,there is excessive waste to be disposed of

• the improper disposal of waste will result in the pollution of the air, water and land

positive actions

1. reducing the use of fossil fuels

2. reducing consumption

3. introducing environmentally friendly practices

4. reforestation

reducing the use of fossil fuels

• take public transport, walk or bike instead of taking private transport

• use energy-efficient appliances

  • reduce the amount of fossil fuels required to be burnt to power cars and appliances

reducing consumption

• minimise the usage of paper and plastics

• practice recycling, reducing and reusing

  • reduces the need for more raw materials

introducing environmentally friendly practices

• initiatives like ‘BYOB’

  • encourage us to be more environmentally friendly

    • reduce emission of greenhouse gases and the effects of climate change

reforestation

• protects soil, which stores carbon

• as plants take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, they help to store carbon dioxide

• reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

• reduce the effects of global warming

habitats

• the location where an organism lives

• a suitable combination of factors allow plants to grow thus provide food and shelter for animals to grow

• animals are then able to survive and reproduce

• only animals who are suited to live in their specific environment survive long enough to reproduce

  • have adaptive traits that enable them to grow well

physical factors of a habitat

• air

• presence of light

• presence of water

• average temperature and the range of temperature

• minerals

• acidity or alkalinity

  • measured using probes or data loggers

structural adaptations

physical characteristics that allow an organism to survive in its habitat

behavioural adaptations

behaviours that allow organisms to survive in their habitat.

population

a group of organisms of the same species coexisting in the same habitat

community

different populations consisting of plants and animals coexisting in the same habitat

ecosystem

interactions between the habitat and its community

interrelationships between organisms in habitats

1. predator-prey relationship

2. mutualism

3. parasitism

predator-prey relationships

• predator benefits from the relationship while the prey dies

  • gets eaten by the predator

• predators have many adaptations that allow it to hunt for prey and prey have many adaptations that allow it to hide from predators

mutualism

• both organisms benefit from the relationship

  • e.g. one organism gets protection from the other organism in exchange for food

parasitism

• one organism benefits but the other organism is suffers through this relationship, but does not die

• a parasite causes harm to the host without killing it

• benefits by obtaining nutrients or food from the host

producers

• organisms who make food through photosynthesis, in the presence of light.

• during cellular respiration, food undergoes a chemical process to release energy for life processes

• excess food is stored as chemical potential energy

consumers

• organisms who eat producers or other consumers.

• they then undergo respiration to release energy from the food that they have eaten

decomposers

• break down fecal or dead matter, returning nutrients to the soil

  • making the transfer of nutrients cyclical

• feed on dead and fecal matter

• undergo respiration to release energy from food

flow of nutrients

1. producers produce food in the presence of light through photosynthesis

2. consumers consume producers or other consumers as food, transferring the nutrients from either the producer or consumer, to the consumer

3. decomposers break down fecal matter released by consumers and dead matter from organisms, returning the nutrients to the environment.

flow of energy

1. producers absorb light energy from the sun during photosynthesis to make food. they undergo cellular respiration to release energy from these foods for life processes. excess energy is stored as chemical potential energy

2. consumers obtain energy from the consumption of producers or other consumers. they undergo respiration to release energy from food for life processes. excess energy from undigested food is passed out as fecal matter

3. decomposers then feed on these dead or fecal matter and release energy through respiration.

   1. about 90% of energy is released into the atmosphere as heat energy or fecal matter, which cannot be used. therefore, the flow of energy is not cyclical