Ecology and Ecosystem Terminology

Ecosystem

• Area where plants, animals, and other organisms work together to form life

• A place where only plants grow without any animals

• A region with no living organisms

• A type of climate that affects animal behavior

Threatened Species

• Any species that is extinct in the wild.

• Any species vulnerable to endangerment in the future.

• Any species that is abundant and widespread.

• Any species that has been recently discovered.

Producer

• An organism that makes its own nutrients and gets energy from the sunlight

• An organism that consumes other organisms for energy

• An organism that decomposes dead matter

• An organism that relies on external sources for nutrients

Biosphere

• The part of Earth where organisms can live

• The layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs

• The region of the Earth that is covered by water

• The core of the Earth where heat is generated

Endangered species

• Any species at risk of extinction due to a sudden fast decrease in its population or loss of its important habitat.

• A species that is thriving and increasing in population.

• A species that has been extinct for over a century.

• A species that is commonly found in various habitats.

Decomposer

• Small living things that eat everything from waste and garbage to dead animals. Examples include worms, mushrooms, some insects, and tiny bacteria. Decomposers give plants nutrients.

• Large animals that consume plants and other animals for energy.

• Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis.

• Creatures that primarily feed on living plants and animals.

Limiting factor

• A lack of particular resources.

• An abundance of resources.

• A type of environmental condition.

• A measure of population growth.

Abiotic factors

• Living organisms in an ecosystem

• Nonliving things found in an ecosystem

• The interactions between living and nonliving things

• The energy flow in an ecosystem

Consumer

• An organism that gains energy by feeding on another organism

• An organism that produces its own food

• An organism that decomposes organic material

• An organism that relies on sunlight for energy

Community

• A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area

• Two or more populations of different species that live together

• A collection of organisms that interact with each other

• An ecosystem consisting of abiotic and biotic factors