A2 biology: Ecosystem

Ecosystem - an interacting community of organisms, and the environment in which they live and with which they interact.  (Can be larger, e.g. African grassland, or small, e.g. pond)

Habitat - a place where an organism lives (e.g. an oak tree)

Population - a group of organisms of the same species which live in the same place at the same time and can interbreed with each other.

Community - all the populations of different species wo live in the same place at the same time and can interact with each other e.g. the woodland made up of a community with different trees, plants and animals etc.

Niche - the role o the organism in the ecoystsem. e.g. oak tree, produces O2, provides food a shelter for organisms, takes in CO2

Ecosystems are dynamic

• Ecosystems are constantly changing
• physical changes e.g. temperature
• changes in population due to predation disease etc
• human interferance
• pollution
• changes in soil condition
• Biotic and abiotic factors are constantly chnaging, a change in one factor can affect others