| A | B |
|---|
| Ecology | the study of the interactions in an ecosystem |
| Ecosystem | System made up of organisms interacting with each other and with the nonliving parts of that system |
| Biosphere | Part of the Earth where organisms can live |
| Carbon Cycle | The path carbon takes through an ecosystem from photosynthesis to respiration |
| Nitrogen Cycle | The path nitrogen takes from bacteria to plants to animals |
| Population | All of the members of one species living in the same place at the same time |
| Community | All of the populations living in an area |
| Photosynthesis | Process by which sunlight is used to make sugar and oxygen from water and carbon dioxide {energy from sunlight + carbon dioxide + water --> sugar + oxygen} |
| Niche | Role of an organism in its ecosystem |
| Habitat | Place where an organism lives out its life |
| Threatened Species | Species needing protection but not in danger of extinction yet |
| Endangered Species | Any species in danger of becoming extinct because so few are left |
| Producer | Organism that makes its own food by using sunlight to make sugar and oxygen from water and carbon dioxide |
| Consumer | Organism that eats other organisms for food |
| Decomposer | an organism that helps to break down and decay dead organisms and the waste of living organisms; eats dead organisms or wastes of organisms |
| Scavenger | Animal that feeds on dead or decaying animals that it did not kill |
| Carnivore | Animal that eats the flesh of other animals |
| Herbivore | Animal that feeds on plants |
| Omnivore | Animal that eats both plants and animals |
| Energy Pyramid | a diagram that compares the amount of energy available at each postion, or level, in the feeding order |
| Food Web | a combination of all the food chains in a community |
| Water Cycle | the path water takes through the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem (evaporation, condensation, precipitation) |
