Download ecosystems terms and definitions

ECOSYSTEMS
Important Terms and
Definitions
Organism: A single living thing.
Habitat: A small community where plants, animals, fungi, and
bacteria live in close proximity or rely on one another to survive.
(i.e. a pond, a log, a hole in a tree, etc.)
Ecosystem: A systems of living things that interact with each
other and with the physical world (non-living). A community, plus
the area in which it lives. (i.e. A small forest, a lake, etc.)
Population: The number of organisms of the same species living
in the same habitat.
Community: A number of populations of different species living
together.
Biome: A very large geographical area with a characteristic
climate. A collection of ecosystems (e.g. tundra, desert, etc.)
Biosphere: All the biomes and ecosystems on Earth.
Producer: An organism that makes it’s own food. (e.g. plant,
algae)
Consumer: An organism that depends on other living things for
its food.
Primary consumer: An organism that eats plants (herbivore).
Secondary consumer: An organism that eats other animals
(carnivores) or both plants and animals (omnivore).
Decomposer: Organisms that break down dead or waste organic
material. (e.g. bacteria, fungi)
Scavenger: Organisms that eat dead and decaying organisms.
(e.g.vultures and earthworms.)
Food Chain: links together a producer, a primary consumer, and
a secondary consumer.
Food Web: A complex pattern of food chains, shows more of a
“who-eats-whom” relationship.