Ecosystems Vocabulary A Community of living things and the environment in which they live The Individual is apart of the Population which is apart of the Community which makes up the Ecosystem Source: Deer Image from Google

Source: Microsoft Images Habitat -- A Habitat is the place where a plant or animal lives or grows naturally Food Water Shelter Space A Population of Deer Source: Microsoft Images

Niche Niche – the role of an organism or a population within an ecosystem Example of a Niche: Great Horned Owls is the predator of the skunk. Great Horned Owl Source: Google Images

Food Chain/Food Web Food Chain- A chain or series of living things which eat each other for energy (passage of energy from one living thing to another) Food Web- the relationship between many different food chains in a single ecosystem.

Consumers, Producers, & Decomposers Consumer – an organism in a community that must eat to get the energy it needs Producer – green plants that make their own food through photosynthesis; producers form the base of any food web. Without producers, energy form the sun would not be able to enter the food web Decompose – are consumers that break down the tissues of once living organisms (ex. mushrooms and bacteria)

Types of Consumers Herbivore- An animal whose only food is plants Carnivore- An animal that eats meat Omnivore - an animal that eats both meat (insects and/or other animals) and plants.

Food Chain Sun Plants Rabbit Hawk Herbivore Carnivore Producers Consumers (photosynthesis)

Food Chain # 2 Sun Plants Butterfly/Caterpillar Turkey Bobcat Herbivore Omnivore Carnivore Producers Consumers (photosynthesis)