| A | B |
|---|
| ecology | the scientific study of how organisms interact with their environment and all the other organisms in that environment |
| ecosystem | a particular environment and all living things that are supported by it |
| biotic factors | the living things in an ecosystem |
| abiotic factor | a non-living physical or chemical part of an ecosystem |
| cycle | a series of events that happens over and over again |
| water cycle | the movement of water through the environment |
| carbon cycle | the way carbon moves through earth in a cycle |
| nitrogen cycle | an element important to life that cycles through the earth |
| producer | an organism that captures energy and stores it in food as chemical energy |
| consumers | organisms that get their energy by eating, or consuming, other organisms |
| decomposers | organisms that break down dead plant and animal matter into simpler compounds |
| food chain | the feeding relationship between a producer and a single chain of consumers in an ecosystem |
| food web | a model of the feeding relationships between many different consumers and producers in an ecosystem |
| energy pyramid | a model that shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level of an ecosystem...producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers and tertiary consumers |
| biome | large geographic areas that are similar in climate and that have similar types of plants and animals |
| coniferous | Trees that have needlelike leaves that produce food all year long. Taiga ecosystems have these. |
| deciduous (broadleaf) | Trees that drop their leaves as winter approaches and then grow new leaves in the spring |
| oak, birch, beech, maple | most common examples of broadleaf (deciduous) trees |
| estuary | lower end of a river that feeds into the ocean, where fresh water and salt water mix |
