Ecosystem Basics
The living and nonliving things that interact in a specific area.
What is an ecosystem?
A shaking of Earth's surface that can change ecosystems.
What is an earthquake?
A behavior or trait that helps an organism survive.
What is an adaptation?
Cutting down trees can lead to this loss of habitat.
What is deforestation?
When more animals are born than die in a population.
What is population growth?
A group of the same species living in the same place at the same time.
What is a population?
A storm with strong winds and heavy rain that can cause flooding.
What is a hurricane?
A long period when an animal sleeps or is inactive to survive cold weather.
What is hibernation?
The act of protecting and preserving natural resources.
What is conservation?
When animals compete for the same resources.
What is competition?
All the different populations that live together in an area.
What is a community?
A natural event that can destroy forests and allow new growth.
What is a forest fire?
When animals move from one place to another with the seasons.
What is migration?
Trash, chemicals, or other harmful materials in the environment.
What is pollution?
The number of organisms an environment can support.
What is carrying capacity?
The role an organism plays in its ecosystem.
What is a niche?
The slow process by which ecosystems change over time.
What is succession?
A plant or animal that is no longer found anywhere on Earth.
What is extinct?
A species brought to a new place by humans that can harm native species.
What is an invasive species?
A sudden drop in population caused by disease or lack of food.
What is population decline or crash?
The specific place where an organism lives.
What is a habitat?
A hot, fast-moving flow from a volcano that can bury ecosystems.
What is lava or a pyroclastic flow?
A species that has very few members left and may become extinct.
What is endangered?
The process of turning waste into usable materials again.
What is recycling?
A change in the food chain can lead to this kind of population change.
What is a ripple effect or trophic cascade?