Ecosystem Vocabulary

Question 1

Ecosystem

Answer 1

All the living and nonliving things that interact with one another

Question 2

Carbon Dioxide

Answer 2

A gas found in air that is used to make food by photosynthesis.

Question 3

Oxygen

Answer 3

A gas found in air that is produced as waste during photosynthesis.

Question 4

Photosynthesis

Answer 4

The process that producers use to make food from carbon dioxide and water.

Question 5

Producer

Answer 5

Any organism that makes its own food.

Question 6

Circulation

Answer 6

The process of moving blood in a large, complicated loop through the body.

Question 7

Consumer

Answer 7

An organism that gets energy by eating other organisms.

Question 8

Digestion

Answer 8

The process that breaks down food into simple materials that an animal’s body can use.

Question 9

Carnivore

Answer 9

An organism that eats meat.

Question 10

Herbivore

Answer 10

An organism that eats plant material.

Question 11

Omnivore

Answer 11

An organism that eats both animals and non-animal food.

Question 12

Bacteria

Answer 12

One group of organisms that are too small to be seen without a microscope. Many kinds of bacteria are decomposers.

Question 13

Compost

Answer 13

A mixture of soil and decaying matter that provides the materials that plants need.

Question 14

Decomposer

Answer 14

An organism that breaks down dead organisms and wastes to live and grow.

Question 15

Fungi

Answer 15

A group of organisms that are not plants or animals and that act as decomposers. Molds are fungi.

Question 16

Energy Pyramid

Answer 16

A model that shows the amount of energy that is passed on at each level of a food chain.

Question 17

Food Chain

Answer 17

A model showing the path of energy through a series of organisms in an ecosystem.

Question 18

Food Web

Answer 18

A diagram that shows the many connected food chains and feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

Question 19

Predator

Answer 19

An animal in a predator-prey relationship that captures and eats other animals.

Question 20

Prey

Answer 20

The animal that is captured and eaten in a predator-prey relationship.

Question 21

Disturbance

Answer 21

An event that changes an ecosystem for a long period of time. A disturbance can be caused by humans or by natural processes.

Question 22

Succession

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Invasive Species

Answer 23

A non-native kind of organism that causes harm to an ecosystem.