Ch4 Key Terms
What do we call the living parts of an environment, such as plants and animals?
Biotic elements
What process allows plants to make their own food using sunlight?
Photosynthesis
What term describes how an ecosystem changes over time?
Succession
What are the living parts of an environment called?
Biotic elements
Where does most energy in ecosystems originally come from?
The Sun
What term describes a single living thing, like one tree or one bird?
Organism
What do we call organisms that make their own food?
Producers
What type of succession begins on bare rock with no soil?
Primary succession
What is an ecosystem?
All the living and non-living things interacting in an area
How does energy move through an ecosystem?
Through food chains and food webs
What is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area called?
The Population
What kind of consumer eats only plants?
Herbivore
What type of succession occurs after a disturbance where soil remains?
Secondary succession
Name two basic needs of living things.
Food, water, air, shelter, or space (any two)
Why are decomposers important?
They break down dead matter and recycle nutrients
What do we call all the different populations living together in one area?
Community
What do we call animals that eat both plants and animals?
Omnivores
What do we call a species that is at risk of disappearing forever?
Endangered species
What interaction occurs when organisms compete for limited resources?
Competition
How does biodiversity help ecosystems?
It makes ecosystems more stable and resilient
What type of relationship benefits both organisms involved?
Mutualism
What term describes many connected food chains in an ecosystem?
Food web
What term describes species that do not naturally belong in an ecosystem and cause harm?
Invasive species
What interaction involves one organism hunting another for food?
Predator and prey
Name one way humans negatively impact ecosystems.
Pollution, habitat destruction, climate change, overfishing, deforestation