Communities and adaptations

The idea

An ecosystem is the interaction of a community of living organisms with the non-living parts of their environment. Organisms compete for resources: plants for light, space, water and mineral ions; animals for food, mates and territory. Abiotic factors include light, temperature, moisture and soil pH. Biotic factors include food availability, new predators, pathogens and competitors. Adaptations can be structural, behavioural or functional; extremophiles live in very extreme conditions.

1. Separate abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) factors.
2. Classify an adaptation.
3. Link it to survival.

Watch out Interdependence means a change to one species can affect the whole community.