the importance of communities

Question 1

what does an ‘ecosystem’ mean?

Answer 1

the community of organisms (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) factors of an area and their interactions

Question 2

what does ‘population’ mean?

Answer 2

all organisms of the same species living with one another in a habitat

Question 3

what does a ‘community’ mean?

Answer 3

all of the populations of different species living together in a habitat

Question 4

what are some resources that living things need?

Answer 4

animals: habitat, mate, food, water
plants: space, light, mineral ions, water

Question 5

what does ‘habitat’ mean?

Answer 5

the place where the organism lives

Question 6

what is an ‘abiotic factor’?

Answer 6

non-living factors of the environment,e.g temperature

Question 7

what is a ‘biotic’ factor?

Answer 7

living factors of the environment, e.g food

Question 8

what does ‘distribution’ mean?

Answer 8

the spread of living organisims in an ecosystem - it is affected by environmental changes which many be seasonal, geographic or man-made

Question 9

what is a stable community?

Answer 9

when all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that the population sizes are roughly constant

Question 10

what is an example of a stable community?

Answer 10

tropical rainforests or ancient oak woodlands

Question 11

why is interdependence important in maintaining a stable community?

Answer 11

because if one species is removed then the whole community may be affected