8th Grade Ecology -- Relationships Unit

Abiotic Non living Image from: http://thailand.ipm-info.org/images/components/rain.gif; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Friendly Definition: common knowledge Technical Definition: Referring to the nonliving part of the environment.

Biotic Living or materials that have had life. Technical Definition: Referring to the part of the environment that is made up of organisms. Image from: http://www.unl.edu/dpilson/flower1.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Friendly Definition: Common Knowledge

Predator An organism which hunts other organisms for food. Technical Definition: An organism that lives by preying on other organisms. Image from: http://playeraffinity.com/images/predator.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Friendly Definition: Common Knowledge

Prey An animal hunted or caught for food. Image from: http://3stairs.com/fawn.jpg; Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com

Producer Any plant, such as grass, flowers, or trees. Technical Definition: An organism that obtains energy by making its own food (plants). Image from: http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/photofiles/list/33/163A_Rose_for_You.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Definition: Common Knowledge

Consumer An organism that eats other organisms as food. Technical Definition: An organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms. Image from: http://gluttonize.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/cow.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Definition: Common Knowledge

Parasite An organism, such as this tape worm, that steals nutrients from another organism. Technical Definition: An organism that lives on or in a different kind of organism from which it gets some or all of its nourishment. Image from: http://www.illinoislawyerblog.com/tapeworm-PHOTO.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreeedictionary.com; Student Definition: Common Knowledge

Host Organism that supports a parasite. Technical Definition: The animal or plant on which or in which another organism lives. Image from: http://crazy-frankenstein.com/free-wallpapers-files/dog-wallpaper-files/cute-puppy-dog-wallpapers.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictioanry.com; Student Definition: ScienceSaurus Glossary.

Organism Any living thing, such as a plant or animal. Technical Definition: An individual form of life, such as a plant, animal, bacterium, protist, or fungus. Image from: http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/images/cactus_big.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Definition: adapted from www.thefreedictioanry.com

Population A group of the same type of organism that lives in the same area. Image from: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/05/29/elephant_herd.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Definition: adapted from www.thefreedictionary.com Technical Definition: A group of organisms of the same species that live together in the same area.

Ecosystem All of the biotic and abiotic parts of an area. Technical Definition: All of the populations of different species that live in the same area along with the nonliving environment. Image adapted from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/images/bioaktree.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Definition: Glossary, page 482, ScienceSaurus.

Food Web Several overlapping food chains. Technical Definition: Overlapping food chains with different pathways for the flow of food energy in an ecosystem. Image adapted from: http://www.tamaraclark.com/images/ocean_alliance.png; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Definition: Glossary, page 486, ScienceSaurus.

Food Chain A model of how energy moves from producers to consumers. Technical Definition: The path of food energy from one organism to another in an ecosystem. Image from: http://www.ahbras.com/foodchain.jpg; Technical Definition: www.thefreedictionary.com; Student Definition: Glossary, Science Access, page 315.