A group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring. E.g a tiger - a single species with six subspecies surviving with 3 extinct
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Population
A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time + are capable of interbreeding. E.g the number of Indochinese Tigers.
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Habitat
The environment in which a species normally lives. E.g the habitat of the Indochinese tiger.
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Niche
A species' share of a habitat and the resources in it. An organisms ecological niche depends not only on where it lives but also what it does. E.g The tiger's niche is that of a top carnivore.
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Community
A group of populations living and interacting each other in a common habitat. E.g In the community of an Asian rainforest
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Ecosystem
A community of interdependent organisms and the physical environment they inhabit. E.g Rainforest ecosystems have a large biomass of trees with a canopy of over 50m in height.
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Trophic Level
The Position that an organism occupies in a food chain, or a group of organisms in a community that occupy the same position in food chains. E.g Herbivore
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Producers
In most ecosystems these are green plants or algae, photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the food chain. They are also called autotrophs, meaning self feeding. E.g Lowland Oak
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Consumers
Any organism that eats or gains nutrition from another. They are also heterotrophs, which means they feed on another organism.
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Herbivores
Heterotrophs that are also termed primary consumers. They consume primary producers. E.g Rabbit
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Carnivore
Heterotrophs, are 2ndary consumers or greater. They divide into 1st order, 2nd order + 3rd order carnivores and so on up to a top carnivore at the end of the food chain.
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Omnivores
These are heterotrophs that feed on any trophic level. They often have a varied diet.
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Detritivores
Heterotrophic organisms that consume dead organic matter by ingestion
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Decomposers
These organisms are fungi and bacteria that break food down outside their bodies. by secreting enzymes into the environment. Important in recycling nutrients
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Food Webs
Food webs show more complex and complete feeding patterns than food chains.
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Pyramids
Show how ecosystems handles transfers of energy and matter between trophic levels. Graphical models of communities - show the total quantity in terms of number, biomass or energy.
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Pyramids of Biomass
Total number of organisms can be counted and weighed - data can be used to make pyramids of biomass in each trophic level, removing the problem of organism size.
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Pyramids of Productivity
the rate of change in the biomass of energy within a community, trophic level or individual - expressed as either dry mass units or energy.
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Limiting factors
Are factors that may limit the growth of the population e.g if there is plenty of food, water and suitable shelter of breeding then populations are free to grow rapidly.
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Density dependent
Factors change in relation to population density - e.g intraspecific competition for space, food or water, disease or predation
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S Curves
This kind of growth pattern is shown in the graph. At the start there are few limiting factors and the population increases exponentially. This continues
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time + are capable of interbreeding. E.g the number of Indochinese Tigers.
Back
Population
Card 3
Front
The environment in which a species normally lives. E.g the habitat of the Indochinese tiger.
Back
Card 4
Front
A species' share of a habitat and the resources in it. An organisms ecological niche depends not only on where it lives but also what it does. E.g The tiger's niche is that of a top carnivore.
Back
Card 5
Front
A group of populations living and interacting each other in a common habitat. E.g In the community of an Asian rainforest
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