Point 1 of 7 — Ecological Balance in Earth Systems, Biogeochemical Cycles and Food WebsQuestion bank: 0 questions (0 with pictures)
01Scientific terms
Ecosystem: a functioning unit of interacting living organisms and their non-living environment.
Habitatis where an organism lives; nicheis its role — what it eats, what eats it, when and how it lives. Two species cannot keep the same niche indefinitely.
Producers (autotrophs): photosynthetic or chemosynthetic organisms that build organic matter from inorganic compounds.
Consumers (heterotrophs): herbivores, primary carnivores and secondary carnivores. Decomposers (bacteria and fungi) break down dead matter externally and absorb it; detritivores (earthworms, woodlice) ingest the debris.
Trophic level: the feeding position in a chain — level 1 producers, level 2 primary consumers, and so on.
Food web: the network formed when several food chains cross-link; the more complex the web, the more stable the ecosystem.
Ecological balance (homeostasis): the ability of an ecosystem to keep its structure and function through the feedbacks between its components.
Biodiversity: variety of genes, species and ecosystems; it is the main guarantee of resilience.
Biogeochemical cycle: the circular path of an element between the living (bio), the soil, water and air (geo) and back again.
📝 Question bank for this point
0 questions linked to this point only, 0 of them with pictures.
