Ecosystem Factors and Cycles

Your ecosystem knowledge starts with understanding what makes or breaks these natural communities. Abiotic factors (the non-living stuff) include temperature, water availability, light intensity, and pollution levels - basically all the environmental conditions that determine whether organisms can survive in a particular spot.

Meanwhile, biotic factors are all about the living interactions. Think predation (who's eating whom), competition (fighting for the same resources), and interdependence (when species rely on each other to survive). These relationships create the complex food webs you'll need to understand for your exams.

The carbon cycle shows how carbon moves through ecosystems via photosynthesis, respiration, and combustion. Trees absorb CO₂ during photosynthesis, whilst both aerobic respiration (glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water) and anaerobic respiration (which produces lactic acid in animals or ethanol in plants) release it back.

When investigating ecosystems, remember this crucial formula: Mean = total number of organisms ÷ number of quadrats. This simple calculation helps you analyse population data accurately.

Quick Tip: Interdependence means when you remove one species, it affects the entire ecosystem - like removing a crucial piece from a jigsaw puzzle!

The water cycle and nitrogen cycle work continuously to recycle essential materials. Water evaporates from land, sea, and plants (transpiration), forms clouds, then returns as precipitation. Meanwhile, nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which nitrifying bacteria transform into nitrates that plants can use for protein synthesis.