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32 views4 pages

Form 1 Science Notes 2

Uploaded by

12328
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Food Webs

A food web is a network of interlinked food chains which show all the sources of food for an organism.

The organisms are in a state of balance; if one of the organisms are removed, the balance is upset.
Food Pyramids
 Each level in a food pyramid shows the number of producers and consumers. As we move up the pyramid,
the number of consumers decreases.
 This is because the amount of energy available at each level is decreasing.
 A lot of the energy in a food chain/pyramid is lost as heat.
 A Trophic level is the position that an organism occupies in a food chain/web/pyramid.

Scavengers, Decomposers and Parasites


 The plants and animals that aren’t killed and eaten die naturally and fall to the ground.
 Some of the dead animals are eaten by scavengers, eg vultures, hyena, dung beetles
 The remaining animals which are not eaten by scavengers, and the plants, eventually rot and decay.
 Decay is when dead plant or animal material is attacked by DECOMPOSERS.
 Decomposers are small organisms that use up the remaining energy and leave behind a few chemicals which
are useful to plants. E.g. worms, mould, bacteria
The Balance of Nature

Human interference in an ecosystem.

 Our planet is home to a lot of ecosystems. These ecosystems range from tiny pools right up to huge deserts.
 An ecosystem consists of many elements, therefore there needs to be a balance for it to function smoothly.
 A balanced ecosystem signifies a habitat which is sustainable. It consists of plants, animals and micro-
organisms and more which depend on each other and their surroundings.
 A balanced ecosystem includes both living and non-living things.
 Non-living things in an ecosystem consist of sunlight, temperature, the soil, rainfall, the landscape and other
features of the habitat.
 If any of these are changed or disrupted, it can have a big effect on the balance of the ecosystem.

Predators and Prey

 There needs to be a balance between predators and prey.


 If we remove the top (apex) predator such as a lion, the whole food chain will be affected. The prey (buck,
zebra, giraffe etc) will increase in numbers and will eat up all the grass and shrubs leading to destruction of
the bush.
 This will destroy the habitat for birds and insects, and will affect all the animals that depend on birds and
insects for food.
 Humans have the biggest effect on the balance of ecosystems with the cutting down of forests, air and land
pollution and the building of big cities.

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