AQA · Geography · 8035
GCSE Geography: Ecosystems
Living with the physical environment · AQA GCSE Geography (8035), specification point 3.1.2.1. Cards are generated from the exam board's own specification for "Ecosystems", and every card links back to the page it came from. Specification © AQA — used with attribution.
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What are the biotic components of an ecosystem?
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The living parts — plants, animals and micro-organisms such as decomposers.
What are the abiotic components of an ecosystem?
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The non-living parts — e.g. climate, water, soil, light and rock.
An ecosystem is a natural system formed by the interaction between ? and abiotic components.
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biotic
What is a producer in an ecosystem?
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An organism, usually a green plant, that makes its own food by photosynthesis and starts the food chain.
What is a consumer in an ecosystem?
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An organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms (plants or animals).
What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?
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They break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil so they can be reused (nutrient cycling).
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
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A food chain is a single line showing what eats what; a food web shows many interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.
Define nutrient cycling in an ecosystem.
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The movement of nutrients between living organisms, dead matter and the soil — taken up by plants, passed along food chains, and returned by decomposers.
Why can changing one component of an ecosystem affect the whole system?
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Because the components are interdependent — a change in one (e.g. removing a predator) upsets the balance and knocks on through the food web.
Give an example of a small-scale UK ecosystem.
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A freshwater pond (other examples: a hedgerow, a woodland, a sand dune).
What is a large-scale global ecosystem called?
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A biome — e.g. tropical rainforest, hot desert, tundra.
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