Ecosystem Flashcards
(36 cards)
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a grouping of organisms that interact with each other and their environment in such a way as to preserve the grouping.
What is a community in the context of an ecosystem?
A community is the group of organisms found in an ecosystem, formed of organisms of different species.
What are populations in an ecosystem?
Populations are groups of organisms of the same species within a community.
What are the three major principles of an ecosystem?
- Nutrient cycling
- Energy flow
- Structure
Define nutrient cycling in an ecosystem.
Nutrient cycling is the movement of chemical elements from the environment into living organisms and back into the environment.
What is meant by energy flow in an ecosystem?
Energy flow refers to the energy required to transform inorganic nutrients into organic tissues of an organism.
What does structure refer to in an ecosystem?
Structure refers to the particular pattern of interrelationships that exists between organisms in an ecosystem.
What are abiotic components of an ecosystem?
Abiotic components are non-living elements that form the environment and determine the type/structure of an ecosystem.
List examples of abiotic components in an ecosystem.
- Sunlight
- Nutrients
- Rainfall
- Minerals
- Carbon
- Nitrogen
What are biotic components in an ecosystem?
Biotic components are the living organisms within an ecosystem.
What is niche differentiation?
Niche differentiation refers to the strategies organisms use to coexist in the same area, helping communities to evolve.
Define producers in an ecosystem.
Producers (Autotrophs) are organisms that use solar energy, chlorophyll, inorganic nutrients, and water to produce their own food.
What are consumers in an ecosystem?
Consumers are organisms that consume organic compounds in plant and animal tissues.
What are primary consumers?
Primary consumers are herbivores that feed on plants.
What are secondary consumers?
Secondary consumers are carnivores that feed on primary consumers.
What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?
Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, turn organic compounds in dead plants and animals into inorganic materials.
How is energy and nutrients passed through an ecosystem?
Energy and nutrients are passed through the ecosystem by food chains and webs from lower trophic levels to higher trophic levels.
What percentage of energy and nutrients is typically transferred to higher trophic levels?
Only 5% to 20% of energy and nutrients are transferred to higher trophic levels.
What is a food chain?
A food chain is the particular pathway of nutrient and energy movement, reflecting the flow of energy.
Define biomass.
Biomass means the total combined weight of any specified group of organisms.
How does biomass change across trophic levels?
Biomass decreases at higher trophic levels.
What is a biome?
A biome is defined as the world’s major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms.
What are biogeochemical cycles?
Biogeochemical cycles are pathways that nutrients travel through ecosystems, including the carbon and oxygen cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle, and nutrient cycles.
What is the Law of Minimum?
The Law of Minimum states that growth is dictated not by total resources available, but by the scarcest resource (limiting factor).
