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Ecosystems
This category is a discussion of the environment in which animals, plants, and microorganisms live, how they interact with each other and what the impact of various living entities have on the environment can be found in this section.
15,116 Questions
Why is the speed of water in freshwater ecosystems important?
In freshwater systems this is done to enhance the amount of oxygen in the water. You can easily tell: calm waters are dark while turbulent waters appear whiter, right? This is due to the air dissolved & bubbling in the water. Why is it done? Well, oxygen is a great way to purify freshwater. Again, compare it to the opposite: stagnant water rapidly loses its oxygen (called hypoxia), after which it starts to 'rot' (not really, water itself doesn't rot, it's whatever is floating around in it i.e. algae / dead fish etc).
Another reason to have high levels of oxygen in fresh water is, of course, to keep the fish happy & healthy :-) Waterplants and plankton will in fact ADD to the oxygen in the water, but they need a fair amount as well, so again, if water is stagnant, it will lose its oxygen to the air above, which means loss of life underwater, further enhancing that downward spiral until the water is, as we call it, 'dead'.
So: let waters stream, froth & seeth freely :-)
Erosional forces are natural processes that wear away and remove rocks and soil from the Earth's surface, such as the action of water, wind, ice, and gravity. These forces help shape the land by breaking down and transporting materials, leading to the formation of landforms like valleys, canyons, and coastlines.
How does the extinction of various species results in a less diverse ecosystem?
The extinction of various species leads to a less diverse ecosystem because it reduces the variety of interactions and relationships within the ecosystem. This can disrupt the balance of the ecosystem and lead to negative cascading effects on other species and the overall ecosystem functioning. Additionally, decreased biodiversity can make ecosystems more vulnerable to environmental changes and less resilient to disturbances.
Autotrophs, which are plants and such, use a process called Photosynthesis to gain energy. Photosynthesis is a two-phase anabolic pathway in which the Sun's light energy is converted to chemical energy for use by the cell.
How do populations depend on each other in an ecosystem?
The stronger animals, such as Lions and Eagles, hunt the smaller and weaker animals, such as bugs and mice. If one f these animals where to become extinct, the whole ecosystem would be disrupted. Ex:
snakes eat mice. eagles eat snakes. If I kill all the mice, snakes won't have anything to eat, and will die out. If snakes die, then eagles don't have anything to eat and they die, and so on and so on....
some animals help each other, like some birds eat the small insects in between alligators, crocodiles teeth, and help them while helping themselves. If one animal is helped in the association, it's commensalism. If both animals are helped, it's mutualism. Both are forms of symbiosis.
What are the living and non-living components?
The living components are the biotic factors, and the non-living components are the abiotic factors. The biotic factors include all living things in the ecosystem, and abiotic factors include things like soil, light, and water.
How can a volcano affect a living thing and a non living thing?
It affect non-living things because if there is a animal near a tree and the ground shakes because of a earthquake the tree will fall on the animal and might die. It can kill a bird if the bird is up in the tree.
What abiotic factor separates marine ecosystems from river ecosystems?
Salinity is the abiotic factor that separates marine ecosystems from river ecosystems. Marine ecosystems have high salt content in water, while river ecosystems have low salt content.
What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors and give an example of each?
Biotic factors are living components of an ecosystem, such as plants and animals, that interact with each other. Abiotic factors are non-living components, such as temperature and sunlight, that also play a crucial role in ecosystem dynamics. An example of a biotic factor is a tree, and an example of an abiotic factor is sunlight.
A scientist should observe the natural world without changing or destroying it.
Any changes can cause issues with the ecosystem and the organisms living in it. Everything has a perfect balance and when this gets off, it can be difficult for the things around it to adjust.
A limiting factor for a predator species could be a decrease in prey population, which would reduce the predator's food source. Additionally, competition with other predator species for the same prey can also be a limiting factor. Environmental factors such as habitat loss or degradation could further impact the predator's ability to thrive.
How do carnivores help keep an ecosystem in balance?
Carnivores play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of an ecosystem by controlling the population of herbivores, which in turn prevents overgrazing or browsing of plant species. This helps maintain biodiversity and the health of the ecosystem by ensuring a sustainable food chain. Additionally, carnivores can help control the spread of disease by preying on sick or weaker individuals within a population.
Is charcoal an abiotic factor?
Yes, charcoal is an abiotic factor. Abiotic factors are non-living elements that affect living organisms in an ecosystem, such as soil composition, temperature, and sunlight. Charcoal is a non-living material derived from the incomplete burning of organic matter and can impact the environment by altering soil composition and nutrient availability.
What are some abiotic factors that affects a rabbit?
Some abiotic factors would probably be like logs or rocks, they help create the rabbits shelter. Since rabbits live around the globe, it does not matter in which temperature (abiotic) they are in except for Antarctica there are no reported species of rabbit that live there. Sunlight or light affects a rabbit's hormones (mating), or rather stimulates a rabbit's hormones. Soil affects a rabbit in some cases, some rabbit's have burrows for shelter.
How are biotic factors different from abiotic factors in a environment?
An abiotic factor is the nonliving part of an organism's habitat. Some examples are: Water, Sunlight, Oxygen, Temperature, and Soil.
A Biotic factor is the living part of an organism's habitat. Some of these examples are: Animals, Plants, and Bacteria.
How do living thing and non-living things interact with each other in a pond ecosystem?
Living things in a pond ecosystem, such as fish and plants, interact with non-living things like water and sunlight to sustain life. Plants use sunlight for photosynthesis, producing oxygen for fish. Fish, in turn, release carbon dioxide which plants absorb for photosynthesis. Decomposers break down dead organisms, returning nutrients to the ecosystem from non-living matter.
What ecosystem can you find a rose in?
Roses can be found in a variety of ecosystems, including gardens, meadows, forests, and grasslands. They are adaptable plants that can thrive in a range of conditions, provided they have access to sunlight, well-draining soil, and adequate moisture.
Why invasive species create such problem in the ecosystems they invade?
Invasive species can create problems in ecosystems because they outcompete native species for resources, disrupt the natural balance of the ecosystem, and lack predators to keep their populations in check. Their rapid reproduction and spread can also lead to loss of biodiversity and habitat degradation.
Is there an accurate balance in nature?
Balance in nature is the right amount of organism,either its living or none-living,in the nature or ecosystem,it should be observed to prevent the rapid growth or the overlaping of organism in an ecosystem,that is why its okey for the animals to eat each other or other type of organism.example:when a snake eats a bird,
What does a purple loosestrife need to survive?
i thinkPhylum or Division: Anthophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Myrtales
Family: Lythraceae
Identification: A perennial herb of moist or marshy sites, 1-2 meters tall, stem square or sometimes six sided, smooth or more often with short upward pointing hairs. As many as 30 to 50 branches emerge from a large root crown that becomes woody with age. Leaves are opposite or borne in whorls of three, sessile (attached directly to the stem), lanceolate to nearly linear 3-10 cm. Purple-magenta flowers are showy, 7-12 mm, 5-7 petals, on a terminal spike 10 to 40 cm tall, appearing from July through September. Styles and stamens are trimorphic. Stamens number mostly 12, alternating shorter and longer. Sepals, green outer floral leaves, are fused, forming a tube around ovary. 2n= 30, 50, 60. Mature plants can produce more than 2 million 1 mm long, reddish-brown seeds per year.
A closely related exotic, though not invasive, species, L. virgatum, is established locally in MA and new England as a local escape from cultivation, and is distinguished from L. salicaria by its smooth stalk and leaves that narrow towards the base.
Two other similar species are Northern willowherb (Epilobium ciliatum) and hairy willowweed (Epilobium hirsutum),which may resemble purple loosestrife seedlings and root sprouts, though in fact both are annuals and much smaller. Northern willowherb may be distinguished by its round stem and smaller, fewer pink flowers with only 4 petals; hairy willowweed is similar, but with long spreading hairs.
Original Distribution: Two centers of distribution within Eurasia are known, one stretching from the British Isles, with its northern limit near the 65th parallel, including a portion of Norway's North Sea coast, through southern Sweden, Finland and into Russia, with the southern limit of its range extending through southern Europe, Italy, the balkans, and Greece to the Bosporus straits, then along the west, north and eastern shores of the Black Sea, and east to the west shore of the Caspian. Around the Mediterranean, some occurrences in northern Morocco, and coastal Algeria. The Asian segment of distribution, characterized by smoother, less hairy stems, is centered in Japan, extends east to the Amur river, and south through the lowlands of China into Southeast Asia and northern India. The arid lands of western Mongolia, China and Tibet form a large gap between the two segments.
Current Distribution: From its Eurasian distributions above, L. salicaria has expanded in the northern hemisphere to a circumpolar distribution, and is now common in the temperate regions of North America, from New Foundland and Quebec to North Dakota, south to Virginia, Missouri and Kansas. Also found in scattered pockets along the Pacific Coast, and in the arid west as a weed of irrigation trenches. In addition, L. salicaria has invaded temperate subtropical areas such as eastern Ethiopia, New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia.
Which is not a disturbance of an ecosystem?
Decomposition is not a disturbance of the ecosystem. This is because it is a natural process in harmony with the ecosystem rather than an outside force is interfering.
Would you classify human beings as autotrophs or heterotrophs?
Heterotroph, autotrophs can create their own food (plants and some bacteria). Heterotrophs consume other organisms to aquire their energy and much energy is lost between each level.
