1. Consumer
organism that feeds on others: in an ecological community or food chain, an organism that feeds on other organisms, or on material derived from them.

2. Decomposer
An organism, often a bacterium or fungus, that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, thus making organic nutrients

3. Energy Pyramid
- A diagram that shows the transition of energy from one trophic level to another;

4. Food Chain
feeding relationships among organisms: a hierarchy of different living things, each of which feeds on the one below

5. Food Web
food chains within ecological community: the interlocking food chains within an ecological community

6. Predator
carnivorous animal or destructive organism: a carnivorous animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals in order to survive, or any other organism that behaves in a similar manner

7. Primary Consumer
plant-eating animal: an animal that eats plants, considered in terms of its position in a food chain

8. Producer
The first trophic level in a food chain in which it serves as a food source for consumers or for higher trophic levels.

9. Prey
animal hunted by other animals: an animal or animals caught, killed, and eaten by another animal as food

10. Secondary Consumer
any carnivore that feeds on primary producers

11. Tertiary Consumer
An animal that feeds on secondary consumers in a food chain.

12. Biomass
mass of organisms in ecosystem: the mass of living organisms within a particular environment, measured in terms of weight per unit of area

13. Compost
decayed plant matter: a mixture of decayed plants and other organic matter used by gardeners for enriching soil

14. Decomposition
The act or result of decomposing; disintegration.

15. Decay
become rotten: to decompose and become soft, crumbly, or liquefied, or make something do this

16. Adaptation
Adaptation : An alteration or adjustment in structure or habits, often hereditary, by which a species or individual improves its condition in relationship to its environment.

17. Xylem
type of plant tissue: the woody supportive plant tissue that carries water and dissolved minerals from the roots through the stem and leaves

18. Behavioral Adaptation
any structural, physiological, or behavioral characteristics of an organism or group of organisms (such as species) that make it better suited in its environment

19. Migration
group moving between places: a group of people, birds, or other animals that are moving together from one region or country to another

20. Hibernation
pass winter asleep: to be in a dormant state resembling sleep over the winter while living off reserves of body fat, with a decrease in body temperature and pulse rate and slower metabolism.

21. Variation
Genetic diversity, differences within a species;

22. Dichotomus Key
a tool that allows the user to determine the identity of items in the natural world, such as trees, wildflowers, mammals, reptiles, rocks

23. Biodiversity
the degree of variation of life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet.

24. Sustainability
is the capacity to endure