Ecosystems and adaptation

What do animals compete with each other for

food, water, space - to hunt and for shelter, mates - to reproduce.

What do plants compete with each other for

light, water, space, minerals - plants do not compete for food, as they produce their own through photosynthesis.

Population

The number of organisms that live in the same area

Interdependence

living organisms depend on each other to survive, grow, and reproduce.

Ecosystem

all the organisms found in a particular location, and the area they live in.

Community

the organisms in an ecosystem.

Habitat

the area a community lives in.

Niche

the particular place or role that an organism has within an ecosystem. This reduces competition for resources.

What happens when a predator feeds on just one type of prey

there is an interdependence between the predator population and the prey population. This means that changes in the population of one animal directly affect the population of the other.

Food chain

show the transfer of energy between organisms - the arrows represent the direction of energy transfer.

Food webs

show how lots of food chains are connected in an ecosystem.

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

Apex predator

the top predator in an ecosystem

Producer

An organism that can make its own food and is bottom of the food chain

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals

Prey

An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

Predator

An organism that hunts other organisms for food

Bioaccumulation

the build up of chemicals, like insecticides, passed along a food chain.

Adaptation

characteristics that help an organism to survive and reproduce.

What are Environmental changes that can happen to a habitat

fire, climate change, or disease causing reduced food supplies.