Ecosystem A community of living and nonliving things in their natural environment

Living Element

Part of an ecosystem that requires energy to survive has basic needs that must be met

Nonliving Element

Part of an ecosystem that does not require energy to survive and does not have basic needs like food and water

Producer An organism that used sunlight to make its own food for energy

Consumer An organism that gets energy from eating other organisms

Organism A living thing

Decomposer An organism that gets energy from eating dead organisms, nonliving materials, or waste

Food Chain The path of food energy from one organism to another in an ecosystem

Food Web A connection of food chains with many food energy paths in an ecosystem

Photosynthesis

The process where plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce sugar and release oxygen

Respiration A process by which animals use oxygen and food to make energy and carbon dioxide

Population All the living things that belong that belong to the same group and live in the same area

Cycle A recurrent series of events or processes in plants and animals

Overpopulation Can create too much of one species, which exhausts our food supply. Can destroy habitats

Grazing To eat small portions of food throughout the day

Flow Ecosystems maintain themselves by cycling energy and nutrients obtained from external sources.

Carbon Cycle

The movement of carbon on Earth by the processes of respiration and photosynthesis

Oxygen A gas produced by plants during photosynthesis that animals use for respiration

Carbon Dioxide

A gas produced by animals during respiration that plants use to make food, water, and oxygen