What is the aquatic environment subdivided into?
Freshwater biome
Marine biome
Estuarine biome (mix of the two)
What can terrestrial environment be subdivided into?
tundra biome
Desert biome
Rainforest biome
What are geographical zones?
Geographical zones have an example of the continents that consist of smaller habitats
What is a community?
Comprises all the plants and animals which occupy a particular area
What is an ecological Niche?
The position that any species occupies in its habitat
Define an ecosystem
Interrelated organisms in a physical environment that has consistent or uniform features
What are the two major factors within an ecosystem
The flow of energy through it
The cycling of matter within it
Define ecology
Study of the inter-relationships between organisms and their environment
Name the types of abiotic edaphic (soil) factors
Particle sizes - ranging from boulders to fine clay. Desert sand easily moves and is not stable Mineral content Water content Organic matter pH Temperature Topography
Name some of the climatic abiotic factors
Light Temperature Water Air and water currents Humidity
Name some biotic factors that can affect organism distribution
Competition Predation Antibiosis Dispersal (e.g of seeds) Pollination Mimicry - hover fly looks like wasp Human influence
Define population
A group of individuals of the same species, all occupying a particular area at the same time
Define habitat
The part of the ecosystem where a particular organism lives
