Ecosystems 1
Environments where living and non-living factors interact
Ecosystem
Living factors that impact an ecosystem
Non-living factors that impact an ecosystem
Abiotic factors
An organism that obtains energy from eating other animals
Carnivore
An organism that obtains energy from eating plants only.
Herbivore
An organism which absorbs light energy from the Sun to make its own energy.
Autotroph
An organism which consumes parts of other organisms (living or dead) as food
Heterotroph
An organism which predators kill for food.
A pathway showing the flow of energy through feeding relationships
Food chain
What percentage of energy is lost at each trophic level in a food chain?
10%
List 3 types of heterotrophs
What causes energy loss between trophic levels in a food chain?
Organisms use the energy to grow, move, breathe, and keep warm.
A species that is integral to the health of an ecosystem.
Keystone species
List 3 consequences of deforestation.
What is the term for the loss of fertile topsoil when trees are removed and soil is eroded by wind and rain?
Soil erosion
Consumes waste like the remains of plants, animals, and faecal matter
List the four trophic levels in a food chain in order from lowest to highest.
Producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer.
A change to their population size can affect every level of the food web. When this happens, it is called a?
Trophic cascade
What causes the excessive growth of algae in water due to nutrient runoff from fertilisers?
Eutrophication.
What roles do trees play in supporting ecosystems? List at least 2.
Shelter, stabilising soil, provide source of nutrients to soil.
Define the term pollinator and provide one example.
Pollinators help plants reproduce by transferring pollen between flowers. Bees or birds
Repeating the same crop on the same field over and over again reduces soil quality.
Monocultures
What negative effects can result from increased competition in ecosystems?
Decline in population sizes or the extinction of some species.
An invasive species in Australia that has had a major impact on the food web. It spreads quickly, competes with native animals for food, and poisons predators that try to eat it.
Cane Toad
Completely removing a species from
the area.
Eradication