Ecosystem Terms

Ecosystem TermsPlease copy these terms and definitions in your science notebook.1.Ecosystem: a community that includes all the living things found in a certain area and how they relate to each other

2.Ecology: the science concerned with the relationships among living things and the environment

3.Organism: a living thing

Organism or NOT?

4.Environment: everything that surrounds an organism to live

5.Population: all the organisms of the same kind living in an environment

6.Habitat: a place that is natural for an organism to live

7.Aquarium: water-filled glass or plastic container where aquatic organisms can live and be observed

8.Terrarium: a closed glass or plastic container where terrestrial organisms can live and be observed

9.Aquatic: lives in water

Which organisms are NOT aquatic?

10.Terrestrial: related to land; lives on land

Which organism is NOT terrestrial?

Ecosystem TermsPlease copy these terms and definitions in your science notebook.11. Biodiversity: the amount of different types of life in an ecosystem

12. System: a number of objects that move or work together as a whole

13. Biotic: the living parts of a system

14. Abiotic: the non-living parts of a system

15. Adapt: to change in order to fit a new situation or use

16. Germination: the process by which seeds swell up and begin to sprout and develop roots

17. Consumer: an organism that feeds on other organisms or organic matter; cannot produce own food

ConsumerConsumerConsumerConsumer18. Producer: an organism that can make its own food through the process of photosynthesis

19. Decomposer: an organism that breaks down tissues of dead organisms; scavengers and fungi are examples

20. Scavenger: an animal that feeds on other dead animals

More Ecosystem TermsPlease copy these terms and definitions in your science notebook.21. Respiration: the process by which an organism takes in and processes oxygen and releases carbon dioxide22. Variable: an element in an experiment that can be changed23. Constant: a condition that is not changed in an experiment24. Niche: the role an organism plays in their habitat25. Sediment: small pieces of rock, plant and animal material that are carried by water, wind or ice26. Embryo: the first stage of development in an organism27. Stable: steady, balanced28. Controlled Experiment: a scientific investigation in which one variable is changed and all the others are kept the same or constant