Vocabulary
any living individual, such as an animal or plan
Organism
An organism that breaks down dead and decaying matter for energy.
decomposer
Describes the linear (straight line) feeding relationship between organisms in an ecosystem.
food chain
When two organisms have a relationship where at least one organism benefits.
Symbiosis
This is a diagram that shows how energy moves between all organisms in an ecosystem.
food web
the nonliving parts of an ecosystem
Abiotic factor
A consumer that only eats plants.
herbivore
In a food chain, this represents the flow of energy from organism to organism.
arrows
When one organism takes something it needs from another organism without killing it. It does cause harm, however.
Parasitism
An organism that hunts and eats other organisms.
predator
The living parts of an ecosystem
Biotic factor
Organisms that make their energy from sunlight, using carbon dioxide and water.
producer
All energy in a food chain comes from this.
the sun
When two organisms help each other get something they need. The win-win relationship.
Mutualism
What happens to the wolf population if there is a drought and most of the rabbits die of starvation?
population of wolves goes down
All the living and nonliving parts of an environment
Ecosystem
A consumer that eats only animals.
carnivore
In a food chain, the primary consumer is also this.
herbivore
When two organisms both need the same resource and try to get it, with only one organism able to succeed.
Competition
This organism is hunted by another organism.
prey
the study of the environment
Ecology
An animal that eats both plants and animals.
omnivore
In a food chain, the secondary consumer is also this.
carnivore
When one organism hunts another organism for food.
Predator-Prey
Why aren't decomposers included in food webs?
They can decompose any dead organism so there would possibly be an arrow from each organism.
The levels of energy in a food web.
Trophic levels
An organism that feeds off another organism without killing it.
parasite
An animal that hunts others but is not naturally hunted in its ecosystem.
Apex predator
When one organism gets something it needs from another without causing any damage. The other organism does not care at all.
Commensalism
This organism is hurt by a parasite.
host