Species - organisms that are able to interbreed to produce fertile offsprings
Habitat - the place where an organsim lives
Population - all the organisms of one species in a habitat
Community - all the different species in the habitat
Ecosystem - all organisms living in a particular area and all the abiotic conditions
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Abiotic factors affecting Communities
Environmental conditions
the abundance and distribution of organisms can be altered by temperature; light intensity (plants only); moisture level; and soil pH
e.g. the distribution of a bird species is changing in Germany because of a rise in average temperature
Toxic chemicals
e.g. chemical pesticides and fertilisers
pesticides can build up in food chains through bioaccumilation
bioaccumilation is where at each stage of the food chain, the concentration of the pestcide increases, so organisms at the top of the food chain, receive a toxic overdose.
excess fertilisers released into rivers and lakes can cause eutrophication, which leads to death of organisms
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Biotic factors affecting Communities
Availability of food
e.g. in a bumper year for berries, the population of blackbirds increase because there is enough food for all of them, so they are more likely to survive and reproduce.
Number of predators
e.g. if the number of lions decreases, then the number of gazelles might increase, as there are fewer of them that will be eaten by the lions
Competition
organisms compete with other species (and members of their own species) for the same resources
e.g. plants need things like light, space, water and minerals from the soil. Animals compete for things like territory (space), shelter, food, water and mates
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