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Ecosystem Notes
Organism: a living thing
Individual: one single organism
Population: all the individuals of one kind (one
species) in a specified area at one time
Community: all the interacting populations in a
specified area
Ecosystem: a system of interacting organisms
and nonliving factors in a specified area
Biotic: living organisms and products of
organisms
Abiotic: nonliving; ex. Sunlight, rocks,
temperature, rainfall
Producer: an organism that is able to produce
its own food through photosynthesis
Consumer: an organism that eats other
organisms
Primary consumer: eats producers
Secondary consumer: eats primary consumers
Tertiary (3rd level) consumer: eats secondary
consumers
Decomposer: an organism that consumes parts
of dead organisms
Predator: an animal that captures another for
food
Prey: an animal eaten by a predator
Carnivore: a consumer that is a meat eater, only
eats other animals
Herbivore: a consumer that is a plant eater
Omnivore: a consumer that eats both meat and
plants
Food chain: a pathway of food and energy
through an ecosystem
Food web: a complex network of feeding
relationships made of many interconnected
food chains
Detritus: decaying organic material