Life On Earth

Life On Earth

1. Niche Is the role an organism plays in its community of its ecosystem.

2. Biodiversity is the variation of species present in a community of its ecosystem

3. Habitat The place where an organism lives

4. Community All the organisms present in an ecosystem

5. Cover the trap with a stone or piece of wood to keep out the rain, to make it dark and to stop birds eating your catch.

6. Many quadrats should be placed so that a representative sample is taken.

7. Population All the organisms of one species found in a particular area

8. Ecosystem All the organisms living in a particular area and the non-living components that the organisms interact with

9. Quadrats should be placed randomly so that a representative sample is taken.

10. Species A group of organisms capable of breeding with each other to produce fertile offspring

11. The traps must be checked often to avoid the animals escaping or being eaten before they are counted

12. Biomes are the various regions of our planet that are distinguished by their climate and distinctive group of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) living there

13. The top of the container should be level with the soil surface.

14. Quadrats may also be used for slow moving animals such as snails/slugs

15. It is impossible to find and count all the animals in an area. You can get an idea of the variety and number by taking a sample. Pitfall traps are often used to sample the small invertebrates living on the ground. You are likely to trap beetles and other insects, as well as spiders and slugs.

16. It is impossible to count all the plants in a habitat, so a sample is taken. A technique that is often used to sample plants is a quadrat. It marks off an exact area so that the plants in that area can be identified and counted.

17. As with most methods a large number of traps makes results more reliable and minimises the effects of unusual results.