Ecosystems

Front 1

Abiotic Factors

Back 1

Non-living components of an ecosystem that affect other living organisms

Hint 1

To be or not to be

Front 2

Biotic Factors

Back 2

Environmental factors associated with living organisms in an ecosystem that affect each other. E.g. predation, disease

Hint 2

Not to be or to be

Front 3

Ecosystem

Back 3

A community of animals, plants and bacteria interrelated with the physical and chemical environment

Hint 3

Community

Front 4

Habitat

Back 4

The place where an organism lives

Hint 4

Location

Front 5

Population

Back 5

All of the organisms of one species, who live in the same place and at the same time, and who can breed together

Hint 5

Breed

Front 6

Community

Back 6

All the populations of different species, who live in the same place at the same time, and who can interact with each other

Hint 6

Populations

Front 7

Niche

Back 7

The role of each species in an ecosystem. Impossible to define entirely.

Hint 7

Job

Front 8

Biotic Factors affecting ecosystems

Back 8

Producers- Plants (and some photosynthetic bacteria) supply chemical energy to all other organism

Consumers - Primary consumers are herbivores, which feed on plants, and which are eaten by carnivorous secondary consumers. These are in turn eaten by carnivorous tertiary consumers.

Decomposers - Decomposers (bacteria, fungi and some animals) feed on waste material or dead organisms.

Hint 8

Food chain

Front 9

Abiotic Factors affecting ecosystems

Back 9

Examples : pH, relative humidity, temperature and the concentration of pollutants, disturbance to the ecosystem by turbulence and storms.

At extreme values of an abiotic factor, some species may perform better or worse, or even die.

Hint 9

Examples and Extremities

Front 10

Cyclic Changes

Back 10

These changes repeat themselves in a rhythm. For example, movement of tides and changes in day length are cyclic. The way in which predator and prey species fluctuate is cyclic.

Hint 10

Circle

Front 11

Directional Changes

Back 11

These changes are not cyclic. They go in one direction, and tend to last longer than the lifetime of organisms within the ecosystem. Within such change, particular variables continue to increase or decrease. Examples include the deposition of silt in an estuary, or the erosion of coastline.

Hint 11

Longer than life

Front 12

Unpredictable/erratic changes

Back 12

These have no rhythm and no constant direction. For example, such changes may include the effects of lightning or hurricanes.

Hint 12

No rhythm of the night

Front 13

Biomass transfer

Back 13

Transfer of biomass from one tropic level to another

Hint 13

Transfer