Ecosystem Vocab

Question 1

all living and nonliving things that interact in an area.

Answer 1

Ecosystem

Question 2

the living part of an ecosystem. Ex: animals, plants, and bacteria.

Answer 2

biotic factor

Question 3

Non living things that help sustain in an ecosystem. Ex: air, temperature, rocks.

Answer 3

abiotic factor

Question 4

an organism deriving its nutritional requirements from organic substances (cannot make its own food) Ex: animals

Answer 4

heterotrophs

Question 5

an organism that is able to make its own food form by using light or chemical energy (plants, algae, and some bacteria-self feeders)

Answer 5

autotrophs

Question 6

a model showing how energy moves through a food chain.

Answer 6

energy pyramid

Question 7

organisms that make their own food using energy from the sun (photosynthesis)

Answer 7

producers

Question 8

organisms that gets energy by feeding producers or other consumers.

Answer 8

consumers

Question 9

an organism (fungus or bacteria) that breaks down other organic materials.

Answer 9

decomposers

Question 10

required for plants to grow and provide energy to warm the earth.

Answer 10

sunlight

Question 11

without water, life would cease to exist

Answer 11

water

Question 12

impacts the types of animals and plants that live in the ecosystem. animals and plants will either adapt, migrate or become dormant in order to survive in their environment.

Answer 12

temperature

Question 13

life form

Answer 13

organism

Question 14

role of the organism

Answer 14

niche

Question 15

where the organism and population live

Answer 15

habitat

Question 16

all the organisms of one species

Answer 16

population

Question 17

all the populations living in the surrounding area.

Answer 17

community

Question 18

a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food. It shows the energy flow in an ecosystem.

Answer 18

food chain

Question 19

carnivores and omnivores, secondary consumers eat primary consumers. (eats animals, insects, and plants)

Answer 19

secondary consumer

Question 20

the carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain. the tertiary consumer feeds on the secondary consumers.

Answer 20

tertiary consumer

Question 21

an organism, usually a soil, bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organism material. includes worms, bacteria, and mushrooms.

Answer 21

decomposer

Question 22

the living organisms that eat the producers (plants)

Answer 22

primary consumer

Question 23

an organism that feeds on dead material

Answer 23

scavenger

Question 24

an organism that preys on others

Answer 24

predators

Question 25

an organism that eats both plants and animals

Answer 25

omnivores

Question 26

an organism that eats animals

Answer 26

carnivores

Question 27

an organism that eats plants

Answer 27

herbivores

Question 28

cyanobacteria, green and purple sulfur bacteria

Answer 28

bacteria

Question 29

examples: oak trees, dandelions, Venus fly traps

Answer 29

all green plants

Question 30

red algae and green algae

Answer 30

algae

Question 31

a system of interlocking food chains in an ecosystem or ecological community

Answer 31

food web