Living Together in New Zealand Ecosystems - Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key ecological roles, relationships, and terms from New Zealand ecosystem studies.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and their non-living environment (air, water, soil).

Interdependent

Relying or depending on one another for survival.

Producer

An organism that creates its own food using energy from the sun.

Consumer

An organism that gets its energy by feeding on other living things.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organic material and waste, returning nutrients to the ecosystem.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and algae use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.

Glucose

A simple sugar made by plants during photosynthesis that serves as an essential energy source.

Predator-Prey

A relationship in which an organism hunts, kills and consumes another organism

Predator

An animal that hunts and eats other animals.

Prey

An animal that is hunted and eaten by other animals.

Mutualism

A close relationship between two species in which both organisms benefit.

Parasitism

A relationship where one organism benefits while the other is harmed.

Parasite

An organism that lives on or inside another organism (the host) and steals nutrients, harming it in the process.

Host

An organism that a parasite lives on or in, which is harmed by the relationship.

Food chain

A single sequence showing what an organism eats and what consumes it.

Food web

A network of interconnected food chains showing all feeding relationships across an entire ecosystem. Arrows point from the organism being consumed to its predator.

Trophic levels

Where an organism is placed in the food web based on what they eat.

Biotic factors

All living things within the ecosystem.

Abiotic factors

All the physical and chemical elements ( soil, water, CO2, oxygen, and soil minerals ) that interact with living things for them to survive.