WORKSHEET 1

WEEK 6 – Components of Ecosystem (Part 1 of 2)

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1. What are the essential components of an ecosystem?
 Biotic component – consists of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria
 Abiotic component – all factors of a non-living environment such as the
substratum, light, rainfall, nutrients, soil and others.

2. What is the difference between niche and habitat?

 Niche for each organism is provided by those interactions resulting in the things
the organism needs to participate.
 Habitat is the whole pattern of interactions among the organisms living in a place.

3. What are the strategies of predators to catch its prey?

 Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often concealed.
When prey is detected, the predator assesses whether to attack it. This may
involve ambush or pursuit predation, sometimes after stalking the prey. If the
attack is successful, the predator kills the prey, removes any inedible parts like
the shell or spines, and eats it.

4. How do organisms interact with their environment?

 They often compete for resources. They may act symbiotically or parasitically.
They may be plant or herbivore. They may be predator or prey. They may be
depended on the behavior of other species to create a favorable environment.
They may spread disease. They may spread pollen.

5. Why are plants and animals affected by abiotic factors?

 Abiotic factors are the non-living parts of the environment that have a major
influence on living organisms. They can help determine things like how tall trees
grow, where animals and plants are found, and why birds migrate. The most
important abiotic factors include water, sunlight, oxygen, soil, and temperature.
Abiotic factors affect the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce. Abiotic
limiting factors restrict the growth of populations. They help determine the types
and numbers of organisms able to exist within an environment. Temperature and
moisture are important influences on plant production (primary productivity) and
the amount of organic matter available as food (net primary productivity). Primary
production is the synthesis of organic compounds from atmospheric or aqueous
carbon dioxide.

GEC 11 – Environmental Science Page 1 of 1