ecology and the environment Flashcards
1
Q
population
A
all the organisms of one species living in a particular habitat at a certain time
2
Q
community
A
all organisms of all species found in a particular area at a certain time
3
Q
habitat
A
the place where an organism lives
4
Q
ecosystem
A
community of living organisms together with their non-living environment
5
Q
biotic factors
A
biological
- availability of food + competition
- predation
- parasitism
- disease
6
Q
abiotic factors
A
physical and chemical
- climate e.g light intensity, temp, water availability
- hours of daylight
- soil conditions
- pollution
7
Q
producers
A
organism that makes its own food
8
Q
primary consumer
A
organism that feeds on producer
9
Q
secondary consumer
A
organism that feeds on primary consumer
10
Q
tertiary consumer
A
organism that feeds on secondary consumer
11
Q
decomposers
A
organism that feeds by breaking down the dead remains of other organisms
12
Q
why only 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to another
A
90% of the energy is lost because:
- some parts of the food are not eaten
- some parts are not digested and therefore not absorbed
- some of the materials absorbed form excretory products
- many of the materials are respired to release energy
