2.1.1. Ecosystem components and interactions

What term describes a natural system of interacting living organisms and their physical environment?

Ecosystem

What word describes the relationship where ecosystem elements rely on one another to survive?

Interdependent

What are some examples of small-scale ecosystems?

• Freshwater pond

• Patch of woodland

• Hedgerow

What is the geographical term for a global-scale ecosystem defined by its climate and vegetation?

Biome

What are the living organisms within an environment called?

Biotic components 

What are the non-living physical and chemical elements of an ecosystem called?

 Abiotic components

What are some biotic factors in a pond ecosystem?

• Water lilies

• Phytoplankton

• Grey heron

What are some abiotic factors in a pond ecosystem?

• Dissolved oxygen

• Sunlight

• Rocks

What term describes organisms that produce their own food using sunlight?

Producers 

By what process do green plants create biomass using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water?

Photosynthesis

What type of consumers eat only plants?

Primary consumers 

What organisms recycle nutrients by feeding on dead organic matter and waste?

Decomposers

What is the term for the distinct feeding stages that energy flows through in an ecosystem?

Trophic levels 

In a food chain, what does the direction of the arrow represent?

Direction of energy transfer 

What percentage of energy is typically converted into new biomass and passed to the next trophic level?

10%

What shows a complex network of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem?

Food web 

What term describes the variety of living organisms in a particular ecosystem?

Biodiversity

What is the continuous transfer of essential minerals between living organisms and the environment called?

Nutrient cycling 

By what process do nutrients move from biomass to the litter store?

Fallout

By what process do plant roots draw dissolved nutrients from the soil into living tissue?

Uptake 

What process transfers nutrients from the litter store to the soil store?

Decay

What are inputs to the nutrient cycle?

• Precipitation

• Weathering of rock

What is the term for rainwater washing nutrients deep through the soil, beyond the reach of roots?

Leaching

What term describes the natural balance of biotic and abiotic components in an ecosystem?

Dynamic equilibrium

What happens when a single component in an ecosystem changes, affecting the entire food web?

Ripple effect

What process occurs when excessive fertilisers wash into water bodies, causing rapid algal blooms?

Eutrophication

What is the sequence of events during eutrophication?

1. Fertilisers wash into a water body

2. Rapid algal blooms occur

3. Sunlight is blocked from underwater plants

4. Decomposers consume oxygen when algae die

5. Fish suffocate due to lack of oxygen