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Levels of organisation in an ecosystem

Ecology • Adaptations, interdependence and competition

Key concepts

What you'll likely be quizzed about

  • An individual organism is a single living entity capable of life processes, including respiration, growth, and reproduction.
  • Variations in traits influence survival and reproduction, affecting competition for resources.
  • Factors limiting individuals include food, water, and suitable habitats; if these elements fall below critical levels, survival and reproduction suffer, resulting in population changes.

Flashcards

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What is a limiting factor for photosynthesis?

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Light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration, or temperature can limit the photosynthesis rate.

Key notes

Important points to keep in mind

Individual → population → community → ecosystem shows scale from organism to environment.

Population changes arise from births, deaths, immigration, and emigration.

High population density elevates competition and intensifies density-dependent limiting factors.

Abiotic factors like light, temperature, and pH shape biological processes and species distribution.

Biotic interactions (predation, competition, mutualism) influence community structure and stability.

Random quadrat sampling and sufficient sample size mitigate bias, enhancing abundance estimates.

Percentage cover, count per quadrat, and mean density are standard measures for plant abundance.

Adding or removing species causes cascading impacts throughout food webs and ecosystem integrity.

Producers form the foundation of energy flow; diminished producer biomass limits energy for higher trophic levels.

Correlation among ecological variables does not imply causation; a causal mechanism should be identified.

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