Ecosystems Formative 2 Vocabulary

producers

organisms that produce their own food from sunlight

consumers

organisms that get energy by eating other organisms

primary

first

secondary

second

tertiary

third

apex predator

consumer that is not eaten by anything else

decomposers

organisms that convert waste and dead matter into usable forms of carbon

food chain

model that shows how matter and energy flow in one direction

food web

multiple food chains pieced together

carnivore

eats other animals only

herbivore

eats plant only

omnivore

eats animals and plants

adaptation

a physical or behavioral trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment

camouflage

patterns and/or coloring that makes an organism difficult to see in its environment

nocturnal

active at night

diurnal

endangered species

species that is at risk of going extinct due to habitat destruction, environmental change, disease, or overhunting

extinct species

species that is no longer on the planet

habitat destruction

changes to a habitat that make it no longer able to support the species that live there

overhunting

hunting so many individuals that the population cannot sustain itself (reproduction cannot keep up with death rate)

overfishing

catching so many individuals that the population cannot sustain itself (reproduction cannot keep up with death rate)

climate change

long-term change in the earth's climate due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature

predation

being hunted and eaten by a predator

competition

the struggle among organisms for food, space, and other vital requirements

introduced species

species brought into an area where it is not naturally found