Chapter Overview
This chapter examines life on Earth through ecological lenses—distributions of plants and animals, ecosystem structures, food chains/webs, ecological pyramids, biodiversity hotspots, and effects of human activities on natural systems.
Important Keywords
- Ecosystem: Community of living organisms interacting with physical environment.
- Biome: Large natural ecological community (e.g., tropical rainforest).
- Producers/Consumers/Decomposers: Trophic levels in energy transfer.
- Food chain & web: Linear and networked feeding connections.
- Ecological pyramids: Represent trophic energy, biomass, and numbers.
- Biodiversity: Variety of life (genetic, species, ecosystem levels).
- Endemism: Species unique to a specific place.
- Hotspot: Biogeographic region with high biodiversity under threat.
- Habitat fragmentation: Splitting habitats into smaller, isolated patches.
- Invasive species: Non-native organisms impacting native ecosystems.
Detailed Notes
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