http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zjfwxnb/revision/1
Biodiversity is the variety of species present in the community of an ecosystem. It is affected by abiotic (non-living environmental) and biotic (interaction associated with living things) factors.
Ecology definitions
Ecology is the study of the interaction between organisms and their environment.
| Term |
Definition |
| Biodiversity |
The variety of species present in the community of an ecosystem |
| Biome |
Biomes are the various regions of our planet that are distinguished by their climate and distinctive group of plants (flora). |
| Community |
All the organisms present in an ecosystem |
| Ecosystem |
All the organisms living in a particular area and the non-living components that the organisms interact with |
| Habitat |
The place where an organism lives |
| Niche |
The role an organism plays within its community |
| Population |
All the organisms of one species found in a particular area |
| Species |
A group of organisms capable of breeding with each other to produce fertile offspring |
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The area of the Earth and its atmosphere where living organisms are found is called the biosphere.The biosphere can be divided into large areas called biomes that are distinguished by their climate and distinctive group of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) living there.Terrestrial biomes are found on the land and aquatic biomes include freshwater and marine environments.The map shows the Earth’s major terrestrial biomes. |
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The type of biome found in a particular region of the planet can depend on the average annual rainfall and temperature.The graph shows how the distribution of biomes is influenced by rainfall and temperature. |
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Polar and High Mountain Ice |
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Tundra |
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Coniferous Forest |
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Deciduous Forest |
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Temperate Grassland |
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Chaparral (Mediterranean Grassland) |
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Desert |
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Savannah (Tropical Grassland) |
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Tropical Forest |
Niche
An organism’s ecological niche is the role that it plays within the community of an ecosystem.
The ecological niche of an organism is a complete description of:
- The range of abiotic factors it can tolerate.
- The resources in the ecosystem that it is able to make use of (eg the soil nutrients available to it).
- Its interactions with other organisms (biotic factors).
