4.1 Species, Communities and Ecosystems

Nature of Science
1. Looking for patterns, trends and discrepancies
  1. Plants and algae are mostly autotrophic but some are not
Species
1. Populations
  1. Community
    1. Ecosystems
      1. Have the potential to be sustainable over long periods of time
        Setting up sealed mesocosms
        International-mindedness
        The need for sustainability
    2. Forms an ecosystem by its interactions with the abiotic environment
      1. Testing association between two species
        Aim 6
        Chi-squared test
        Quadrat sampling
        Recognizing and interpreting statistical significance
2. Classifying species
  1. Autotrophs
    1. Obtain inorganic nutrients from the abiotic environment
  2. Heterotrophs
    1. Consumers
      1. Decomposers
        The supply of inorganic nutrients is maintained by nutrient cycling
        Detritivores
        Obtain organic nutrients from detritus by internal ingestion
        Saprotrophs
        Obtain organic nutrients from dead organisms by external digestion
      2. Primary vs Secondary
  3. Definition
    1. A group of organisms which can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Resource summary

	Created by Steve Harton over 10 years ago