Interactions & Interdependance Within The Enviroment Flashcards
(17 cards)
What are the four ecological interactions that an ecologist studies?
- Population
- Community
- Ecosystem
- Biosphere
What do the Abiotic factors (non-living) of the ecosystem include?
- Light
- Water
- Air
- Climate
- Edaphic Factors
- Physiogrsphic Factors
What does Edaphic factors refer to, and what is this substance made of?
Edaphic factors refers to the soil, and the soil is made by the decomposition of rocks by water, wind temperature etc.
What are the 3 different types of soil? (Study table in booklet)
- Clay
- Loam/Silt
- Sand
What does loam soil usually contain, and what is it made of?
Loam usually contains humus. Humus is an organic matter that forms when the remains of plants and dead animals break down.
What is the Physiogrsphic factor, and what does it contain of?
Physiogrsphic factors are the physical characteristics of the land, and they include:
- Slope
- Aspect
- Altitude
What does interdependence refer to?
Interdependence refers to the way in which organisms interact with and depend on each other for food, growth and reproduce.
What is the role of the producers in an ecosystem?
The producers produce the food. Plants are producers. They do this during the process of photosynthesis.
What are the consumers?
These are the organisms that are unable to produce their own food, and therefore they feed on other organisms to obtain energy.
What are the 3 groups animals are classified in due to what they eat?
- Herbivores - Animals that only eat plants
- Canrivores - Animals that only eat meat
- Omnivores - Animals that eat both plants and meat
What are the decomposers?
These are the organisms that break down dead and decaying material and return nutrients to the soil.
What is the law of the conservation of energy?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be converte from on form to another.
What is a food chain? (Refer to notes to learn how to draw one)
A food chain show how the energy provided by one organism is passes on to another organism through feeding.
What are autotrophs, and what are heterotrophs?
Autotrophs - organisms that create their own food
Heterotrophs - organisms that cannot create their own food
What are 5 natural factors which disrupt the balance in an ecosystem?
- Droughts
- Floods
- Sudden extreme changes in temperature
- Epidemics
- Natural Disasters
What are 5 human causes that disrupt the balance in ecosystems?
- Deforestation
- War
- Oil Spills
- Over Population
- Wild Fires
What do we refer to as living organisms, and what do we refer to as non-living organisms?
Living organisms - Biotic factors
Non-living organisms - Abiotic factors
