Ecology Flashcards
(29 cards)
biodiversity
the range of different plant and animal species within a specific area
population
a group of individuals of one species which live in a certain defined area e.g. frogs in a pond
habitat
the place where an organism lives e.g. woodland, seashore and pond
environment
the conditions which surround an organism. these conditions can be divided into 2 main groups, abiotic and biotic factors
community
all living organisms live in an ecosystem, means all the populations of different organisms living in the same place at the same time
ecosystem
the inter relationships between living organisms( referred to as biotic) and their non living surroundings referred to as abiotic
it is a unit which contains all the organisms living in a particular area as the abiotic factors of the environment
sampling
process used to give a good estimate of the number of an organism in a particular area
Quadrats
used to measure number or percentage cover of each type of organism in that area
number
number of individuals easy to determine
percentage cover
difficult to identify where different organisms start and stop e.g. moss
usually rounded to the nearest 10 percent
wind speed recorded by an anemometer
wind speed can be very important in exposed habitat, such as a rocky shore or a sand dune system
water, weighing soil then drying it in oven then reweighing, percentage moisture is the difference divided by the initial mass multiplied by 100
some plants need more water to grow e.g. rushes are found in wetter soil
ph
using soil test kits or ph. probes or sensors
heathers are found in acidic soils but most plants prefer neutral soils
light using a light meter
many woodland plants are adapted to growing in moderate or low light levels
temperature using a thermometer
some plants and animal species prefer hotter climate as lizards for example need to bask in the sun
plants compete for
water
light
minerals
space to grow
animals compete for
food
mates
water
territory
Decay
initial breakdown of plants and animals and involved earthworms and insects
decomposition
key process in recycling carbon and nitrogen and involves bacteria and fungi
how does decomposition break down decayed materials into their mineral nutrients
Saprophytic bacteria and fungi secrete digestive enzymes onto the decaying material
Extracellular digestion occurs where the enzymes break down the decaying organic material
digested soluble products of digestion are absorbed into bacteria and fungi
Decay and decomposition form humus which is part of the soil in which plants grow from and obtain their minerals
optimal environmental conditions
Adequate moisture
warm temperature
oxygen
living organisms need carbon in order to
make food, green plants get their carbon from carbon dioxide in air, which enters the leaves and is used for photosynthesis, a product of photosynthesis is glucose another carbon based compound
make energy. in respiration glucose reacts with oxygen to produce energy
make new cells for growth and repair, carbon compounds are essential cellular building blocks
nitrates
found in soil, which is the only form that can be used by plants
nitrogen gas
in atmosphere, cannot be taken in directly by plants or animals
