Ecosystems Vocabulary Review

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and definitions related to ecosystems.

Physical Characteristic

A feature or trait that can be seen.

Environment

The space, conditions, and all the living and nonliving things around an organism.

Plant

A type of living thing that gets its energy from the Sun and is unable to move from place to place on its own.

Animal

A living thing that can move on its own and that gets its energy from food.

Ecosystem

All living and nonliving things and all their interactions in an area.

Energy

What is needed to do work or cause change.

Food Chain

A food chain shows the transfer of energy; the path of food energy from one organism to another in an ecosystem.

Flood

Too much water in an area.

Drought

A period of time when water is scarce in an area because of a lack of precipitation.

Organism

A single, self-contained, living thing.

Thrive

To grow well or strong.

Perish

To die.

Temperature

How hot or cold something is.

Precipitation

Rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from clouds in the sky.

Hibernation

A process by which an organism slows its life functions for an extended period of time to preserve energy or to resist harsh conditions.

Migration

The long-distance, usually seasonal movement of animals from one place to another.

Dormancy

Resting for a long time.

biotic

relating to living organisms in an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.

abiotic

relating to non-living factors in an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, water, and minerals.

consumer

An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms, including plants and animals.

producer

An organism that produces energy for itself and other organisms in an ecosystem, typically through photosynthesis, such as plants and algae.

predator

An organism that hunts and preys on other organisms for food, playing a key role in maintaining ecosystem balance.

decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organic material and recycles nutrients back into the ecosystem, such as fungi and bacteria.

herbivore

An organism that primarily feeds on plants and vegetation, playing a critical role in transferring energy up the food chain.

omnivore

carnivore