Living things and their environment Flashcards
what is ecology
is the study of the interaction between organisms and their environment
what is a habitat
the place where an organism lives
what is population
all the members of a single species that live in a habitat
what is community
all the populations of different organisms that live together in a habitat
what is an ecosystem
a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in a particular area
what are the factors that affect an environment (2 each)
Abiotic:
*Light intensity
*Temperature
*Soil Ph
*Soil moisture
Biotic:
*Food availability
*Competition for environmental resources
*Grazing
*Predation
*Disease
how do organisms (plants and animals) adapt to their environment
*Sharp Claws = catch prey and dig burrow
*Long necks = to eat food high up
*Thick skin = to protect itself from the cold
*Camouflage = to catch/ hide from prey
give an example of an organism and how it has adapted to its environment
A polar bear is suited to its environment because:
* Its white fur helps it blend in with snow and ice
* Its small ears reduce heat loss
* Its large paws spread its weight on the ice
* Thick skin to preserve heat
what causes a change in population size
Birth, Death, immigration, Emmigration
list and describe what factors limit population growth
- Food - not every organism is able to eat
- Competition - more competition means less resources which means less food
- Predators - predators means that there is less of a species as it is getting eaten
- Disease - means that some organism die out
name an organism at every trophic level
producer = grass
primary consumer = cricket
secondary consumer = snake
tertiary consumer = hawk
what is a feeding level
a level or a position in a food chain, a food web, or an ecological pyramid
what is a food chain
what animal eat what
what is a food web
all of the food chains in an ecosystem
what is the role of a decomposer in a food chain
break apart dead organisms into nutrients available to primary producers
