| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecosystem | all of the living and nonliving things in an area and their interactions |
| community | made up of all the organisms that live in the same place |
| population | a group made up of the same type of individuals in the same ecosystem |
| habitat | the physical part of the ecosystem that meets the needs of an organism |
| niche | the role of an organism |
| producer | any living thing that makes its own food |
| consumer | an animal that eats plants or other animals to get energy |
| decomposer | a living thing that breaks down wastes and the remains of plants and animals for energy |
| food chain | the transfer of food energy in a sequence of living things |
| herbivore | a consumer that eats only plants |
| carnivore | a consumer that eats other animals |
| omnivore | a consumer that eats BOTH plants and animals |
| food web | shows the relationships among different food chains; uses arrows to show who eats what |
| natural resource | materials found in nature that are used by living things |
| renewable resource | natural resources that can be replaced |
| nonrenewable resource | natural resources that AREN'T replaced easily |
| pollution | happens when harmful substances mix with water, air, or soil |
| conservation | use of less of something to make its supply last longer |
| endangered species | organisms who whole population is at risk of dying out |
| predator | an animal that hunts other animals |
| prey | an animal that is hunted or eaten |
| green energy | energy generated using renewable resources |
