Scribd
Upload
32 views4 pages

Life Science Notes 23

Notes

Uploaded by

happinesslethabo0705
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
32 views4 pages

Life Science Notes 23

Notes

Uploaded by

happinesslethabo0705
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Ecosystem

It’s a well defined area in which there is a close interaction between the plants ,animals and their environment

Ecotourism

Is a type of tourism where visitors, local community and environment benefits

 Endemic organisms only grow on that specific area only, the endemic species is what attracts the tourists to a
specific area

Ecotourism has 3 beneficiaries

 Local people
 Visitors
 Environment

Benefits of ecotourism to visitors, local people and environment

1. To visitors
o Experience the beauty of the environment
o Gain knowledge about the area
2. For local people
o Job opportunities
o Business opportunities
3. To environment
o It promotes public knowledge
o Saves the environment from deforestation
o Saves the environment from poaching

Ethical issues of ecotourism


there are some tourist operators who simply use the public interest In the environment to
promote their businesses

 Local people are being underpaid while the management(them) are being well payed.
 Accommodation and catering facilities are owned by them(management)its never given to local people
 The tourist operators don’t include exploration of the culture in the programs
 The don’t make sure that their activities are not harmful to the environment

Guiding principles for ecotourism


Community involvement
Respect local culture
Minimize the use of fossil fuel
Blending with cultural and natural environment
Abiotic and biotic factors
1. What is ecology
Ecology is the study of the interaction or relationships within an ecosystem

 Within an ecosystem we can get both living and non living organisms
 Living organisms are called biotic factors
 Non living organisms are called abiotic factors
Ecology involves two relationships
o Relationship between the biotic factors
o Relationship between the abiotic factor and the biotic factor.

Biotic factors( living organisms in an ecosystem)


 Plants
 Animals
 Micro organisms
Biotic factor is divided into 3 components namely
 Producers
 Consumers
 Decomposers
Producers (autotrophs)
-food that manufacture their own food through the process of photosynthesis
Consumers
-Organisms that cannot manufacture their own food due to the fact that they don’t contain chlorophyll to
trap energy
We have 3 types of consumers
Herbivores-animals that feeds on producers(Plants) only
Omnivores -animals that feeds on both plants and animals
Carnivores -animals that feeds on animals only
Decomposers
 organisms that feeds on dead plants and animals ,decomposers decomposes and turn the dead
plants or animal into smaller substances like
mineral salts
carbon dioxide
heat energy

Abiotic factors
Non living organism in an ecosystem
 abiotic factor is divided into 3 headings
o Climatic factors
o Edaphic factors
o Physiographic factors

Climatic factors
 Temperature
 Water
 Light
 Atmospheric gas

Temperature
 Temperatures near the equator is higher than the temperatures in the poles
How animals adapt to temperature
 ectothermic animals become inactive during low temperatures ,to overcome the low
temperature we say they are hibernating
-when they are inactive during high temperatures we say they are aestivating
 endothermic animals have a way of protecting themselves from low or high temperatures
how plants adapt to temperature
 in plants high temperature can lead to excessive water loss through the process called
transpiration
some plants adapt to high temperature due to them having the following adaptations
o TTSS
o Thick cuticles
o Thick epidermis
o Small leaves
o Sucken stomata

Light
 Plants use plants for the process of photosynthesis for them to manufacture their own food
 Animals (humans) develop a pigment to protect them from the UV Rays
Water
 Plants -Photosynthesis
 Animals -Digestion
we have 3 different types of plants
o Hydrophytes
o Xerophytes
o Mesophytes
 Hydrophytes
They adapt by
 Roots stems and leaves absorb water
 No xylem or the xylem is poorly developed
 No cuticles
 Xerophytes
 Long roots system to absorb water deep in soil
 Thick cuticles to reduce water loss
 Sucken stomata
 With animals we have aquatic animals, aquatic animals uses gills for breathing

Atmospheric gases
 Oxygen -respiration in both plants and animals
 Carbon -photosynthesis
 Nitrogen -is converted to nitrates for plants to absorb
 Water vapour
Edaphic factors
 Soil type
 Soil Ph
Soil types
 Sandy-low water holding capacity
 Loam-good soil for growing plants
 Clay-easily water logged
Soil ph

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA


Most plants prefer more acidic to neutral soil
Xerophytes prefer alkaline
Physiographic factors
Aspect and altitude

You might also like