Components of an ecosystem
I can describe how changes in abiotic and biotic factors affect organisms in an ecosystem including how the size of predator and prey populations are cyclical.
Components of an ecosystem
I can describe how changes in abiotic and biotic factors affect organisms in an ecosystem including how the size of predator and prey populations are cyclical.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Ecosystems contain biotic and abiotic components.
- Changes in biotic and abiotic factors will affect communities within an ecosystem.
- Predators are consumers that eat prey.
- The population sizes of predators and prey increase and decrease in predator-prey cycles.
Keywords
Ecosystem - An ecosystem is made up of all the living organisms in a place, interacting with each other and their non-living surroundings.
Population - A group of organisms of the same type in the same place is called a population.
Community - A community is made up of all the organisms that live in the same place.
Biotic - Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem.
Abiotic - Abiotic factors are the non-living components of an ecosystem.
Common misconception
Varying the population size of an organism will not affect an ecosystem.
All organisms are important within an ecosystem. If one organism's population size changes, either as a result of a biotic factor (predation / disease) or an abiotic factor, it will affect all organisms within the ecosystem (to varying degrees).
To help you plan your year 10 biology lesson on: Components of an ecosystem, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 biology lesson on: Components of an ecosystem, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 biology lessons from the Living organisms and their environments unit, dive into the full secondary biology curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
None.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
a feature of an organism that helps it to survive
a model which shows how food is passed from one organism to another
an organism which eats plants
an organism which makes its own food
a living individual
the number of one type of organism in a specific area
interacting populations of different species in a place
Exit quiz
6 Questions
