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i. Terms and Definitions Endangered: The species faces immediate extinction. Threatened: The species is likely to become endangered if the factors affecting its vulnerability are not reversed. Rare: The species exists in low numbers throughout its wild range. Consumers: Consumers cannot make their own food from the sun. They must eat other things to get energy. They come in three different varieties: Herbivores (animals that eat only plants) Carnivores (animals that eat only animals) Omnivores (eat both plants and animals) Decomposers: Decomposers are insects, fungi and micro-organisms that eat dead material. They return the nutrients to the soil for plants to use again. Producers: A producer is something that can make its own food. Animals are unable to do this. Since producers can make food from the sun they are usually the beginning of a food chain. Ecosystem: An ecosystem consists of four parts. It begins with the sun at the top which provides energy to our green plants. Green plants such as grass use the sun to produce sugar and protein in order to grow. The ecosystem consists of producers and consumers. Plants are producers in the ecosystem chain. Animals that are consumers are next in the ecosystem. Some of these animals are known as herbivores, which eat only plants. Carnivores are the animals that get their energy from eating other animals. The next category is omnivores, which are the people and animals, that eat plants and animals. The end of the ecosystem consists of another group of life which is the decomposers. Decomposers such as bacteria and fungi eat dead plants. Biome: Biome is a term that refers to a large area that has a particular climate, particular vegetation and animal life. There are 7 major biomes in the world: Temperate – broad leafed deciduous trees, shrubs as undergrowth, lichens and mosses. Grassland – many species of grasses, some bushes and occasional trees Desert – some cacti, flowers, thorny bushes and shrubs Coniferous Forest – coniferous trees, black spruce and fir Tundra – lichens and mosses with grassland and small shrubs Savannah – grasses with some scattered deciduous trees Tropical Rain Forest – many trees and plants, as well as vines Two Main Groups of Animal Most of the world's large and familiar animals belong to a group of animals called vertebrates. All vertebrate animals possess an internal skeleton made of bones and in particular, have a backbone or spine made up of a series of bones called vertebrae. Vertebrates make up less than 3% of the world's animals. Most animals are invertebrates. They do not have a bony skeleton inside their bodies. Some animals such as insects, spiders or crabs have a hard outer shell (exoskeleton) which provides support and protection for the soft body inside. Five Vertebrate Classes Vertebrates are grouped into 5 classes based on features of their body structure, mode of reproduction and internal physiology. Students should be able to sort vertebrates into the 5 classes based on easily observable features like skin covering, type of limb and habitat. Fish - live in water, breathe with gills, have skin covered with scales, have fins, lay soft eggs and are cold-blooded. Amphibians - the young live in water, adults live on land, the young breathe with gills, adults breathe with lungs, have moist, scale-less skin, have 4 legs, lay soft eggs and are cold-blooded. Reptiles - mainly live on land, breathe with lungs, have scaly skin, have 4 limbs or no limbs (snakes), lay eggs with leathery shells and are cold-blooded. Mammals - mainly live on land, breathe with lungs, have fur or hair covering their body, most have 4 legs (or 2 legs and 2 arms), give birth to live young, feed their young on milk produced by mammary glands and are warm-blooded. Birds - live on land, breathe with lungs, have feathers covering their body, have 2 legs and 2 wings, most can fly, lay eggs with hard shells and are warm-blooded. Warm-blooded and Cold-blooded The terms warm-blooded and cold-blooded refer to the ways animals maintain their internal body temperature. Cold-blooded or exothermic animals cannot regulate their body temperature directly; it is determined by the temperature of their surroundings. Warm-blooded or endothermic animals are able to generate their own heat and can maintain a constant internal temperature.