Dynamic Nature of Ecosystems

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Ecosystem Noun

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[ee-koh-sis-tuhm]

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All the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things that interact with one another in a particular area.

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Example: This image shows a pond ecosystem, where living things (biotic factors) like fish and plants interact with non-living things (abiotic factors) like water and soil.

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Biotic Adjective

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[bahy-ot-ik]

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Relating to the living or once-living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria.

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Example: This image shows mushrooms, which are a type of fungus. Fungi are living organisms, making them an example of a biotic factor in an ecosystem.

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Abiotic Adjective

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[ey-bahy-ot-ik]

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Relating to the nonliving physical and chemical components of an ecosystem, such as soil, water, air, and sunlight.

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Example: This image shows sunlight, clouds, and rain, which are all examples of abiotic, or non-living, factors in an ecosystem.

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Population Noun

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[pop-yuh-ley-shuhn]

Back

A group of individuals belonging to the same species that live together in the same geographical area.

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Example: This image shows a group of ladybugs, which are all members of the same species. This group represents a population.

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Autotroph Noun

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[aw-tuh-trohf]

Back

An organism that can produce its own food, usually through photosynthesis, and is also known as a producer.

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Example: This diagram shows how an autotroph, like a plant, produces its own food (glucose) using simple ingredients like sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

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Heterotroph Noun

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[het-er-uh-trohf]

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An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by consuming other organisms, and is also known as a consumer.

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Example: A heterotroph is an organism that eats other organisms for energy. This rabbit is a heterotroph because it is eating grass to get its energy.

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Herbivore Noun

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[hur-buh-vohr]

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A type of consumer that obtains its energy and nutrients by feeding exclusively on plants.

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Example: This image shows a cow, an animal that only eats plants like grass, which makes it an herbivore.

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Carnivore Noun

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[kahr-nuh-vohr]

Back

A type of consumer that obtains its energy and nutrients by feeding exclusively on other animals.

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Example: This image shows a carnivore, the fox, which is an animal that hunts and eats other animals, like the rabbit, for energy and survival.

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Omnivore Noun

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[om-nuh-vohr]

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A type of consumer that obtains its energy and nutrients by feeding on both plants and animals.

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Example: This Venn diagram shows that omnivores are in the middle, eating both meats from the carnivore group and plants from the herbivore group.

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Decomposer Noun

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[dee-kuhm-poh-zer]

Back

An organism that breaks down dead organic matter, recycling essential nutrients back into the ecosystem.

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Example: These mushrooms are fungi, a type of decomposer, that get energy by breaking down the dead wood of the log they are growing on.