Ecosystem Vocabulary

Terms	Definitions
Ecosystem	A community that includes all living and nonliving things found in a certain area.
Predator	Animals that eat each other.
Prey	Animals that other animals hunt for food.
Consumers	Some organisms must get energy by eating other organisms.
Producers	Are organisms that use the Sun's energy to make their own food (all plants).
Omnivore	Animals that eat both plants and other animals.
Herbivore	Animals that eat only plants.
Carnivore	Animals that eat only meat.
Decomposers	Organisms such as fungi, worms, and bacteria get energy by breaking down nutrients in dead organisms.
Habitat.	Is the physical space used by a population.
Niche	Is the role each animal has. Sometimes different populations occupy the same area and must compete for resources like food, water, and shelter. Usually the weaker population will die and move to a new area.
Population	A group of organisms of the same species living in the same place.
Community	Is made up of all different kinds of populations living in the same area.
Food Web	A diagram of several connected food chains.
Food Chain	Is a series of organisms through which energy is passed.
Adaptations	When animals go through changes that make them fit in better with the environment around them.
Energy Pyramid	is a model that shows the flow of energy in a food chain. Most energy is at the bottom with the producers and loses energy as you go up in levels.
Migrate	Is to move from one place to another, usually with the change of seasons.
Organisms	Are all living things.
Parasites	An organism that must live on or inside another organism in order to get energy.
Phytoplankton	Microscopic plant life is at the base of the marine food web and is the primary food and energy source for the ocean ecosystem.
Photosynthesis	Plants use the energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide to make food and oxygen.
Scavengers	Eat the dead flesh of animals.
Biotic	Include all the living things in an ecosystem (example: Trees, Flowers)
Abiotic	Include all the non-living things in an ecosystem (example: light, temperature, and soil composition).
Limiting Factor	A resource or environmental factor that limits the size of the population.
Forest Ecosystems	Found in areas where the temperature of the air is mild and there is plenty of rainfall.
Deciduous Forest	Contains trees that lose their leaves each fall. Have animals like bears, rabbits, deer, and snakes. Plants such as ferns and mosses also grow.
Taiga Desert	Have colder temperatures and contain trees that produce seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles (pine trees). Animals include: finches, jays, elk, moose, beavers, and wolves.  receive very little rainfall and gets very cold at night, but are hot during the day.There are few trees, has small shrubs, and dry soil.
Tropical Rainforests	Found in much warmer areas and have plenty of rainfall. Animals include monkeys, reptiles, parrots, and toucans.
Grasslands Tundra	Found in warm and temperate area that receives rainfall. They are usually flat or having rollng hills. They are sometimes called prairies, savannahs, plains, and pampas. Animals that live there include: prairie dogs, mice and bison. Located in the northern hemisphere, it is the coldest of all the biomes there is little precipitation, poor nutrients in the soil.
Coral Reefs Continental Shelf	Are found in shallow parts of the ocean where it is very warm and sunny. The shallow part of the ocean from the shoreline to the continental slope. Many fish live here. Plants and algae make continental shelves rich feeding grounds for sea creatures.
Estuary	Bodies of water found in areas where freshwater from rivers and streams and salt water from the ocean meet. (Shrimp, crabs, clams, reeds, grasses and turtles live here).
Lakes and Ponds	Freshwater ecosystems, animals include algae, cattails, snails, insects, frogs, and fish.
Deforestation	The clearing of forest lands.
Pollution	An unwanted change in the environment.
Marsh	An area found near estuaries and sounds. The water level varies from high to low during the day.  Can be fresh or salt water. Sometimes called a wetland.
Carbon Cycle	The cycle in which carbon flows through the environment and living things.
Nitrogen Cycle	Is the cycle in which nitrogen moves through the environment and living things.

Terrestrial- Land biomes

Aquatic- Water biomes

Biomes- A large ecosystem with generally the same climate and organisms in the region of the world.

Amphibian           a cold-blooded vertebrate animal of a class that comprises the frogs,                                    toads, newts, and salamanders. 

Endangered Species      a species that is about to become extinct. 

Biosphere                 A place on earth where all life exists. 

Algae-    a plantlike organism that lives in aquatic ecosystems. It undergoes photosynthesis and provides oxygen

Salinity-   The amount of salt in the water.

Fertile- means very rich soil in which helps plants grow.