Location, characteristics and processes of large scale ecosystems
- Created by: CollinsN5
- Created on: 15-11-18 11:39
View mindmap
- Location, Characteristics and Processes of Large Scale Eco-systems
- what is an ecosystem?
- A natural community of plants and animals and the environment in which they live.
- links between living parts e.g. plants [flora] and animals [fauna] and non-living parts, [the natural environment] e.g. climate, soils, rock, water and light.
- named according to the vegetation cover.
- non-living environment provides warmth, nutrients, water and shelter for the living parts of the ecosystem.
- A biome is a large, global scale ecosystem
- Location and characteristics of biomes
- dominant vegetation cover defines a biome
- climate usually defines the vegetation type
- Climate is the most important factor in determining the distribution of biomes.
- Rainfall – the amount and seasonal pattern are key to the distribution of all biomes
- Temperature – when rainfall is reliable and evenly distributed throughout the year, then temperature becomes the most important factor. Latitude is an important influence upon temperature.
- Key processes in all ecosystems
- links/processes between living and non-living things is called an ecosystem.
- developed through succession – pioneer plant – nutrients from soil support more insects and plant life – deeper soils – bigger and greater variety of plants – dominant species.
- Processes in an ecosystem
- Carbon cycle
- carbon – stored in plants and other organisms, either above/below ground and in dead organic material such as leaf litter.
- Climate affects the rates at which plants grow and therefore how much and where, carbon is stored.
- Climate change may lead to this carbon being released as CO2 and methane [CH4] – greenhouse gases-global warming.
- Nutrient cycle
- Nutrients are foods used by plants and animals to grow, such as nitrogen, potash and potassium.
- main sources of nutrients – rainwater and weathered rock.
- plants and animals die the scavengers and decomposers recycle the nutrients
- Food chains/webs
- Photosynthesis is the process whereby green plants take substances from water, air and weathered rock
- Plants
are primary producers
- make the living matter that can then be used by animals
- nutrients and energy absorbed by plants are passed along a food chain
- Carbon cycle
- what is an ecosystem?
Comments
No comments have yet been made