Vocabulary Words 1
An animal that feeds on plants
Herbivores
Organisms, like plants, that make their own food through photosynthesis
A community of living things (plants and animals) and their nonliving environment that interact with each other
Ecosystem
An animal found at the top of a food web and is not eaten by any other animals (examples include sharks, owls and lions)
Apex Predator
A living thing that is no longer found alive anywhere on Earth today
Extinction
Made up of the stomach, intestines and other components, it allows us to break down food and absorb nutrients
Digestive System
An animal that feeds on flesh
Carnivore
A sequence of living things in which each one feeds on the living thing below it
Food Chain
A substance that provided nourishment essential for the maintenance of life and for growth
Nutrient
Organisms, like animals, that get their energy by eating other living things
Consumers
An animal or person that eats food of both plant and animal origin
Omnivores
Usually made by gathering plant material such as leaves and vegetable peels into a pile and letting it decompose over many months thanks to bacteria and fungi. The resulting substance can be used as a fertilizer for plants
Compost
The ability to do work or cause change. This can take many forms, like heat, light, electricity and motion
Energy
A gas that plants take in and use during photosynthesis
Carbon Dioxide
A model that shows how energy and matter flow through an ecosystem as organisms eat one another
Food Web
Tiny living things that are everywhere around us. We can only see them with a very powerful microscope. They come in different shapes such as rods, spirals and spheres. They are important in an ecosystem to break down dead and decaying matter.
Bacteria
The process by which plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own food (glucose)
Photosynthesis
A type of sugar that plants produce during photosynthesis and that provides energy for plants and animals
Glucose
An animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material
Scavengers
A living thing that helps break down dead and decaying matter. Familiar examples are mushrooms, mold and yeast