Ecosystems key terms

These break down plant and animal material and return nutrients to the soil. Bacteria and fungi are good examples.

• producers

• consumers

• decomposers

• nutrient cycling

The recycling of foods needed by plants and animals to grow. A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain - and ultimately back to the soil and water.

• food web

• producers

• nutrient cycling

• food chain

A series of links between producers and consumers in the form of a simple line diagram.

• producers

• topological map

• food chain

• food web

These get their energy from sugars produced by the producers. A pond snail is a good example.

• producers

• consumers

• carnivores

• decomposers

These convert energy from the environment (mainly sunlight) into sugars (glucose). Plants are an example as they convert energy from the sun by photosynthesis.

• producers

• herbivores

• consumers

• omnivores

A complex hierarchy of plants (producers) and animals (consumers) relying on each other for food.

• ecosystem

• biome

• food chain

• food web

The living components of an ecosystem are termed?

• biotic

• biological

• chemical

• abiotic