ECOSYSTEM
- Setting the scene
- Three sections: Biomes, Ecosystem structure and ecosystem function.
- Ecosystem are made up of the organisms and physical environment and the interactions between the living and non-living components within them.
- Biomes: The living components of an ecosystem (organisms or their products that directly or indirectly affect on organism in its environment) Biotic factors interact as producers, consumer, detritivore, decomposer, parasite, host, predator, prey, competitor, herbivore, and etc.
- Abiotic: The non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem which includes the atmosphere, climate, soil structure, chemistry, water chemistry, seasonality, and level of pollutions
- Limiting: factors which prevent a community, population or organism growing larger.
Terminology
- Species: a particular type of organism; individuals of which can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. (such as humans)
- Population: a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time and are able to interbreed.
- Habitat: the environment where a species normally lives. It is the natural environment in which a species or a population of a species lives and includes physical (abiotic) environment.
- Ecological niche: how an organism makes a living. This includes every relationship that organism may have – where it lives, how it responds to resources available, to predators, to competitors and how it alerts these biotic factors
- Community: a group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat.
- Ecosystem: a community of independent organisms and the physical (abiotic) environment which they inhabit/
- Biome: a collection of ecosystems sharing common climates conditions (such as tundra, desert and tropical rainforest)
- Biosphere: that part of the Earth inhabited by organisms. It is a thin layer that extends from the upper part of the atmosphere down to the deepest part of the oceans which support life.
- Biomass: living mass of an organism or organisms but sometimes refers to dry mass.
- Respiration: All living things must respire to get energy to stay alive. This involves breaking down food, often in the form of glucose, to release energy which is used in living processes.
- Photosynthesis: Process by which they make their own food from water and carbon dioxide.
- Production: when you make something and productivity is making something per unit area per unit time.
- Gross productivity: total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time.
- Net productivity: gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time that remains after deductions due to respiration.
- Autotrophs: when organisms make their own food. Base unit of all stored energy in any ecosystem.
- Assimilated food energy: any use of power life processes.
Clarissa A. 