A Local Ecosystem

Jen B. 11RV6

BIOLOGY NOTES
A Local Ecosystem
1. The distribution, diversity and numbers of plants and
animals found in ecosystems are determined by biotic and
abiotic factors
a) Compare the abiotic characteristics of aquatic and terrestrial
environments
Ecosystems
-

An ecosystem includes all the organisms in a particular area and the

interactions of these organisms with biotic and abiotic factors
Habitat: The non-living (abiotic) part, i.e. the physical area in which
organisms live
Community: The living (biotic) part, i.e. all the different organisms
living in that particular habitat
o Each community is made up of many populations
Population: All the members of a particular species living in one
habitat, e.g. the population of red squirrels in an oak wood

Both abiotic (physical) and biotic (living) factors affect the

organisms in a community, influencing their distribution and their
survival, growth and reproduction (abundance).
An aquatic environment is in the ocean, a terrestrial environment is on
land
Abiotic factors found both in aquatic and terrestrial environments:
- Viscosity: Degree of difficulty experienced by an organism to pass
through a medium
- Buoyancy: Support offered by a substance, such as a liquid or gas,
to an organism
- Variation in temperature: Temperature can vary enormously in
terrestrial environments. It is more stable in aquatic environments
- Availability of gases, water and ions: Both oxygen and carbon
dioxide are found in the atmosphere and in water. Less availability
of gases and water higher in the atmosphere so organisms stay low
for gases, water and ions as ions are dissolved in the water
- Light Penetration: Without light, plants cannot photosynthesise
- Pressure Variation: In aquatic environments, the density of water
causes pressure to increase rapidly with increasing depth. In the
terrestrial environment, pressure will decrease with altitude, which
can significantly affect gas exchange
- Physical Forces: Wind, rain, tides and currents can also affect
organisms and determine their location
Abiotic Factors within Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments
Abiotic Factor

Comparison of

Explanation

A Local Ecosystem

Viscosity

Jen B. 11RV6

Terrestrial and Aquatic

Difficult to move in
aquatic environments,
easier to move in air

Buoyancy

Easier to be supported
in water than in air

Temperature

Little difference in
temperature in the
water, large
temperature range in
the air

Availability
of gases,
water and
ions

Harder to get gases in

water, but ample water
and ions. Easy to get
gases in air, but must
need a water source for
water and ions
Little light penetrates
deep water. Copious
light available on land
throughout the year,
except in dark
rainforest and at night
Organisms exposed to
more pressure at
deeper levels. Less
pressure higher up

Light
penetration

Pressure
variation

Physical
Forces

Shelter/Spac
e

Water is more viscous

than air. More difficult to
move in water because of
higher particle numbers
Water has more density
than air. Its easier to be
less dense in water and
thus easier to be buoyant
Sun and rain have more
effect in air than in water.
More particles in water,
takes longer for
temperatures to
penetrate
Gases= can be dissolved
in water
Water= More water in
aquatic environments
Ions= Dissolve easily in
water
More particles in water,
harder for light to
penetrate

More particles pushing

down from all directions
in aquatic environments
compared with less in the
air

Storms cause high

tides, strong currents,
huge waves and strong
winds in the water. On
land, exposure to
extreme wind an rain
could cause death
Organisms may need
shelter from predators
and to establish a
territory with sufficient
food and mates both in
water and terrestrial
environments

Distribution and Abundance

-

Distribution is the area a species inhabits (where you find it)

Abundance is the number of organism you fins in a measured area

A Local Ecosystem

Jen B. 11RV6

Factors that affect where you find certain species are:

o Competition
o Disease
o Predation
o
o
o

Availability of food or water

Reproductive rate
Environmental factors (light, pressure, wind, water, current, waves,
salinity, pH)

Keystone species Species without which other species would not be

able to survive
b) Process and analyse information obtained from a variety of
sampling studies to justify the use of different sampling
techniques to make population estimates when total counts
cannot be performed
-

Both distribution and abundance can change year by year

The abundance can change even if the distribution does not
When measuring the size of populations the method used depends
on the type of species being sampled

Transects
-

Cross section of an area

Used to record the type and number of species present
Useful for recording the relationship between a species and the
abiotic factors in the area

Quadrats
-

Square, rectangular or circular frame of chosen size

Marks out an area in which the vegetation is to be sampled
Shape and size of quadrat depends on type of vegetation
May be located randomly over the area being sampled or at regular
intervals along a transect or grid

Capture Recapture
-

More difficult to estimate the population of animals than plants due

to movement of animals, being nocturnal, hiding and being scared
off by the researcher
It involves tagging or marking a sample of the population then
releasing it
The proportion of tagged animals in following recaptured samples
gives a reasonable estimate of the total population:
o Total population = number of animals tagged x number of
animals recaptured

A Local Ecosystem

Jen B. 11RV6

Average number of tagged animals

recaptured
c) Describe the roles of photosynthesis and respiration in an
ecosystem
d) Identify the general equation for aerobic cellular respiration and
outline this as a summary of a chain of biochemical reactions
e) Identify uses of energy by organisms
Energy in an Ecosystem
Photosynthesis
- Energy in an ecosystem is used in various ways, such as movement,
making sound, carrying out chemical reactions as part of cellular
metabolism, producing heat and, in some organisms, producing light
- Original source of energy in ecosystems is light
- Plants absorb some light energy from the sun, which is converted
into glucose via photosynthesis
- Half of this is broken down in respiration to make energy
- Photosynthesis occurs within the chloroplasts of plant cells
- The more light a plant has, the faster it can photosynthesise
Carbon Dioxide + Water Oxygen + Glucose + Water
Respiration
- Glucose is broken down by respiration to provide energy for plants
and animals
- This energy is transferred through animals and plants when they are
eaten and digested by other plants and animals
- Some energy is lost as heat
- Process occurs in all living cells in the mitochondria
Glucose + Oxygen Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy
-

Autotrophs Make their own food

Heterotrophs Gather food from other sources
Cellular respiration Exergonic (releases energy)
Photosynthesis Endergonic (requires energy)
Respiration occurs all the time, photosynthesis only occurs in
sunlight
Translocation the movement of water around a plant

2. Each local aquatic or terrestrial ecosystem is unique

a) Examine trends in population estimates for some plant and
animal species within an ecosystem
b) Outline factors that affect numbers in predator and prey
populations in the area studied
Predator and Prey

A Local Ecosystem

Jen B. 11RV6

Predator: The animal that hunts and kills other animals for food
Prey: The animal that is eaten
Prey must compete for food and mates, and must also avoid being
killed by the predators. The predators are very dependent on the
prey for food, so as the prey population changes, so does the
predator population. One rises and falls slightly after the other
An example of a predator/prey relationship is the Mulberry Whelk
which eats limpets and barnacles
c) Identify examples of allelopathy (competitions), parasitism,
mutualism and commensalism in an ecosystem and the role of
organisms in each type of relationship

Competition: Struggle for resources animals fight for them in order to

survive
Interspecific competition: Competition between different species
Intraspecific competition: Competition between members of the same
species
Parasitism: One species benefits and the expense of the other species
Mutualism: Both species benefit
-

Parasitism occurs when the organism (the parasite) lives on or in

another organism (the host) at the expense of the host i.e. a tick or
a tapeworm
Sometimes, different species dont compete with one another but
co-operate to survive. This is called mutualism e.g. nitrogenous
plants

Name

Description

Example

Predation

Capture and
killing of other
animals for food
Parasites feed of
its hosts tissues
or food in the
hosts gut
Only one species
will benefit but
the other will not
be harmed
Two species
derive some
benefit from
living together
A process where
allelochemicals
are released to
influence the
growth of
neighbours. An

Grey Nurse
Shark on fish

Parasitism

Commensalism

Mutualism

Allelopathy

Organisms (+,-,
0)
Organism 1: +
Organism 2: -

Tick on Dogs

Organism 1: +
Organism 2: -

Clownfish living
in anemones

Organism 1: +
Organism 2: 0

Fish and cleaner

fish

Organism 1: +
Organism 2: +

Pine trees on
other plants

Organism 1: +
Organism 2: -

A Local Ecosystem

Jen B. 11RV6

example of
competition
d) Describe the role of decomposers in ecosystems
e) Explain trophic interactions between organisms in an ecosystem
using food chains, food webs and pyramids of energy
f) Gather information from first-hand secondary sources to
construct food chains and food webs to illustrate the
relationships between member species in an ecosystem

Food Chains and Webs

Food Chains
- All organisms obtain their material and energy needs from
consuming food (except plants)
- A description of the feeding patterns within a community actually
indicates the direction in which energy and matter are transferred
- This can be achieved by drawing a flow chart indicating who feeds
on whom
- Producer: Autotrophs that either photosynthesise or
chemosynthesis by using energy to make complex inorganic
material from simple inorganic material
- Consumer: An organism that eats plant or other animals or both
- First-order consumer: Animals that eat plants (producers)
herbivores
- Second-order consumer: Organisms that eat primary consumers
carnivores
- Decomposer: Organisms (e.g. Bacteria and Fungi) that break down
dead plants or animals into simpler compounds
E.g.

Trophic Levels
-

Organisms in a community occupy feeding levels also called trophic

levels
The names of each level describe where in the food chain the
organism will be found

Food Webs
-

A network of interconnecting food chains is a food web

When drawing food webs, the producers are usually placed at the
bottom; the consumers are generally grouped according to their
trophic level and placed in order from lowest to highest level up the
page

A Local Ecosystem

Jen B. 11RV6

Biomass and Energy Pyramids

-

A biomass pyramid shows how much material (about 10%) is passed

on to successive trophic levels. Shows the mass of all living
organisms at each trophic level at a particular time
An energy pyramid measures the flow of energy (about 10%) of all
living organisms through trophic levels during a fixed time period.
Shows where the available energy lies in an ecosystem and what is
lost from each level as heat
g) Define the term adaptation and discuss the problems associated
with inferring characteristic of organisms as adaptations for
living in a particular habitat
h) Identify some adaptations of living things to factors in their
environment
i) Identify and describe in detail adaptations of a plant and animal
from the local ecosystem

Adaptations
- Adaptation: Special features or behaviours that make an organism
particularly suited to its environment. They are part of the
evolutionary process
- Adaptations increase an organisms chance of survival and so
increase its chance of reproducing
- Types of adaptation:
o Structural: Shape and size e.g. fur, large SA to volume ratio
o Physiological: How it functions e.g. high metabolic rate
o Behavioural: How it acts e.g. licking fur, nocturnal activity
j) Describe and explain the short term and long term consequences
on the ecosystem of species competing for resources
Short term: Both species have a decreased chance of survival and their
numbers are reduced
Long term: One species will survive and reproduce at the expense of the
other species
k) Identify the impact of humans in the ecosystem studied
Due to population growth, the human population has had a large impact
on many ecosystems. The main effect of this is on the production of
pollutants.
Some impacts humans have on the environment are:
- Rubbish
- Using organisms as bait
- Animals collected by public
- Destroying of habitat by walking on top of them