Species and populations 1
What is a species?
a group of organisms that share common characteristics and that interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
What is a habitat?
the environment in which a species normally lives.
What is a community?
A group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat.
What is the source of energy in the ecosystem?
Solar radiation
What is a biome?
a collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic.
What are examples of abiotic factors?
temperature, sunlight, pH, salinity, and precipitation
What is carrying capacity?
The maximum number of species that can be sustainably supported by a given environment.
What is photosynthesis? What are the inputs and outputs?
A process with inputs, outputs and transformations of energy and matter. Carbon dioxide + water transformed into glucose + oxygen
Why isn't 100% of solar energy absorbed into the ecosystem?
Some energy is absorbed by inorganic matter or reflected back into the atmosphere.
Name the 5 classes of biome.
Aquatic, forest, grassland, tundra, desert
What is a Niche?
The particular set of abiotic and biotic conditions and resources to which an organism or population responds.
What relationship is this?
A relationship between two species where one is benefited and the other is harmed.
Parasitism
What is a trophic level?
The position that an organism occupies in a food chain, or the position of a group of organisms in a community that occupy the same position in food chains.
What is solar energy converted into by producers?
Chemical energy
Which main factors govern the distribution of biomes?
Insolation (radiation from the sun), precipitation and temperature
What is a S population curve?
A graph showing logistic population growth where the population starts growing slowly, speeds up before stabilising around the carrying capacity of the environment.
What are density-dependent factors that limit a populations growth?
physical & chemical phenomena that cause a change in a population (e.g. predators, disease, competition for food & shelter)
What are autotrophs?
Typically plants or algae that produce their own food using photosynthesis.
What % of energy is transferred from one trophic level to another?
10%
What is the tricellular model of atmospheric circulation?
The distribution of precipitation and temperature and how they influence the structure and relative productivity of different biomes.
Explain what limiting factors are and their significance in humans.
environmental conditions that restrict the growth and distribution of a population within an ecosystem. Humans are not really affected by them.
Describe Random Quadrant Sampling
a technique used to estimate the distribution and abundance of organisms in an area by randomly placing quadrats in the area being studied.
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
Energy is transformed or transferred in a system, it cannot be created or destroyed, so creates disorder (entropy).
What is the unit of measure for biomass?
gm-2 (grams per square metre
Where would you find hot deserts (what latitudes)?
At the intersection between the Hadley cell and the Ferrel cell (30degrees N & S).