Ecosystems

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What is an ecosystem?

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An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals, and microorganisms) interacting with their physical environment (soil, water, and climate) in a specific area.

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What is a producer in an ecosystem?

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A producer is an organism that can make its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, such as plants and algae.

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What is a consumer in an ecosystem?

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A consumer is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other organisms for energy, including herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.

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What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

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Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and helping to recycle matter within the ecosystem.

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What is the food chain?

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A food chain is a linear sequence that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to another in an ecosystem.

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What is the food web?

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A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains that illustrates how different organisms in an ecosystem are related through feeding relationships.

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What is carrying capacity?

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Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can sustainably support without degrading the habitat.

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What is intraspecific competition?

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Intraspecific competition is when organisms of the same species compete for limited resources such as food, space, or mates.

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What is interspecific competition?

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Interspecific competition is when organisms of different species compete for the same resources in an ecosystem.

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What is exponential growth?

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Exponential growth occurs when a population grows at a constant rate, resulting in a rapid increase in size over time, often represented by a J-shaped curve.