Ecosystem Vocab Flashcards
Ecosystem
All the living and nonliving things that interact with one another
Carbon Dioxide
A gas found in air that is used to make food by photosynthesis.
Oxygen
A gas found in air that is produced as waste during photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis
The process that producers use to make food from carbon dioxide and water.
Producer
Any organism that makes its own food.
Circulation
The process of moving blood in a large, complicated loop through the body.
Consumer
An organism that gets energy by eating other organisms.
Digestion
The process that breaks down food into simple materials that an animal’s body can use.
Carnivore
An organism that eats meat
Herbivore
An organism that eats plant material.
Omnivore
An organism that eats both animals and non-animal food.
Bacteria
One group of organisms that are too small to be seen without a microscope. Many kinds of bacteria are decomposers.
Compost
A mixture of soil and decaying matter that provides the materials that plants need.
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down dead organisms and wastes to live and grow.
Fungi
A group of organisms that are not plants or animals and that act as decomposers. Molds are fungi.
Energy Pyramid
A model that shows the amount of energy that is passed on at each level of a food chain.
Food Chain
A model showing the path of energy through a series of organisms in an ecosystem
Food Web
A diagram that shows the many connected food chains and feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
Predator
An animal in a predator-prey relationship that captures and eats other animals.
Prey
The animal that is captured and eaten in a predator-prey relationship.
Disturbance
An event that changes an ecosystem for a long period of time. A disturbance can be caused by humans or by natural processes.
Succession
The slow changes that take place in an ecosystem that has been disturbed. One group of organisms replaces another group until a stable community is formed.
Invasive species
A non-native kind of organism that causes harm to an ecosystem.
