Introducing Ecosystems Flashcards
(19 cards)
What is a Producer?
An organism that makes its own food.
What is a Consumer?
An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms.
What is a Decomposer
Fungi and bacteria that break down organic material into smaller bits.
What is a Biotic Member?
Living things such as plants and animals.
What is an Abiotic Member?
Non-living factors such as the weather and atmosphere
What is a Biome?
A very large ecosystem or collection of ecosystems with similar biotic and abiotic factors eg. Rainforests.
What is a Small Scale Ecosystem?
Covering a small area like a pond.
What is a Large Scale Ecosystem?
Covering a large area like a Rainforest.
Whats an Ecosystem?
Including all the biotic members in a given area, interacting with each other, and also with abiotic factors.
What is Water Abstraction?
When water is removed from a river or lake for alternative used such as industry.
What is Physical Modification?
When the course of a river is altered or wetlands are drained.
What is Climate Change?
The increasing of the earth temperature.
What is a Habitat?
The environment in which plants and animals live.
What is a Component?
A part of an ecosystem such as a decomposer or a producer.
What is Litter?
This is the layer of vegetation, which over time breaks down to become humus.
What is Biomass?
The total mass of living organisms per unit area.
What is a Food Chain?
Shows the direct links between producers and consumers in the form of a simple line.
What is a Food Web?
Shows all the connections between producers and consumers in a rather more complex way.
What is the Nutrient Cycle?
Nutrients are foods that are used by plants or animals to grow.
