Organising an Ecosystem Flashcards
Producer
Photosynthesise
Plants and algae
Secondary Consumer
Carnivores Predators always secondary Can be prey Eat primary consumers \+prey has high protein and fat \+easy to digest prey -food moves about
Primary consumer
Herbivores Eat producers -cellulose difficult to digest -have to use variety of methods to break down cells walls to get contents of cells \+plants don’t move
Tertiary consumers
Carnivores Eat secondary consumers Can be prey \+food is high in protein and fast \+food easy to digest -food moves about
Cycle of food
1) plenty of food available
2) prey grows and reproduces successfully
3) prey numbers rise
4) predators reproduce successfully and numbers increase
5) prey numbers fall
6) predators have less food
7) predator numbers fall
8) repeats
What do decomposers do?
Break down waste, dead animals and plants
Return mineral ions to soil
What are decomposers and what do they feed on?
Bacteria
Fungi
Feed on waste droppings and dead organisms
Digest them
What starts the process of decay?
Detritus feeders
Detritivores
What are nutrients digested by bacteria and fungi used in?
Use some nutrients to grow and reproduce and release CO2, H2O and mineral ions as waste products
What does water cycle do?
Provides fresh water for animals and plants on land before draining into the seas
The process of the water cycle
1) water evaporates from surface of land
2) water condenses and rises
3) clouds form
4) then precipitated onto surface of Earth = rain, snow, hail or sleet
5) water passes through bodies and released during respiration, urinating, faeces and sweat and plants release water into atmosphere during transpiration
What makes up biomass in plants and algae?
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
What is oxygen broken down into in living organisms?
Glucose
What does glucose provide to cells?
Energy
What is released into the atmosphere when decomposers respire?
Carbon dioxide
