6Th Grade Science - Ecosystems

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abiotic factor

Back 1

a nonliving part of an organism's habitat

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adaptation

Back 2

a behavior or physical characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment

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biotic factor

Back 3

the living parts of an environment. Includes animals, plants, insects, fungi, bacteria

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birth rate

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the number of births in a population in a certain amount of time

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carnivore

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consumers that eat only animals

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carrying capacity

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the largest population that an area can support

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commensalism

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a relationship where one species is helped while the other species is neither helped nor harmed.

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community

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all the different populations that live together in an area

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competition

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the struggle between organisms to survive using the same limited resource

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consumer

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an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

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death rate

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leaving a population

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decomposer

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an organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms

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ecology

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the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment

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ecosystem

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the community of organisms in an area, along with their nonliving surroundings

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emigration

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leaving a population

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energy pyramid

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a diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web. Most energy is at the bottom (producers). 90% of energy is lost between levels.

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food chain

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a series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy.

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food web

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the pattern of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem

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habitat

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the place where an organism lives and where it obtains all the things it needs to survive

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herbivores

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a consumer that eats only plants

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host

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an organism that has a parasite living on or in it.

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immigration

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moving INTO a population

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limiting factor

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an environmental factor that causes a population to decrease. Factors include food and water, space, light, weather, and soil composition

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mutualism

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a relationship where both species benefit.

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natural selection

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a process by which characteristics that make an individual better suited to its environment become more common in a species

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niche

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the role of an organism in its habitat, or how it makes its living. Includes the type of food the organism eats, how it obtains its food and who uses the organism for food.

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nitrogen fixation

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the process of changing free nitrogen gas into a usable form

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omnivore

Back 28

a consumer that eats both plants and animals

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organism

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a living thing

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parasite

Back 30

an organism that benefits by living on or in another organism. Usually smaller than the host. Example: fleas, ticks, leeches.

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parasitism

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a relationship in which one organism lives on or in a host and harms it

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photosynthesis

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the process in which organisms use water along with sunlight and carbon dioxide to make their own food

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population

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all the members of one species in a particular area

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predation

Back 34

an interaction in which one organism kills another for food

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predator

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an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

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prey

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organism that is killed by a predator.

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producer

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an organism that can make its own food

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scavenger

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a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms. Example: Vultures

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species

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a group of organisms that are physically similar and can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce

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succession

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the series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time

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symbiosis

Back 41

a close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species. Three types: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism.

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How do ecologists study populations?

Back 42

Ecologists study how organisms react to changes in their environment over a period of time.. They look at birth rates, death rates, immigration and emigration.

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What are examples of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem?

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Abiotic factors are the nonliving parts of an organisms habitat, and include water, sunlight, oxygen, temperature and soil. Biotic factors are the living parts of a habitat, and include grass, plants, worms, fungi and bacteria.

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What needs does an environment fulfill?

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An environment provides the things an organism needs to live, grow and reproduce, such as food, water and shelter.

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What is the level of organization in an ecosystem? What is included in each level?

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1. Populations - all the members of one species in an area
2. Communities - all the different populations that live in an area
3. Ecosystems - the community of organisms in an area along with the nonliving surroundings.

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What causes population size to change?

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Births and Immigration (coming INTO a population - increases population) and Deaths and Emigration (LEAVING a population - decreases population)

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What are examples of limiting factors?

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Limiting factors cause populations to stop growing. Examples are food and water, space, light, soil, composition and weather conditions.

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Describe the roles of the different types of organisms in an ecosystem.

Back 48

Producers can make their own food and are the source of all the food in an ecosystem. They provide energy.
Consumers cannot make their own food. They eat plants (herbivores), animals (carnivores) and some eat both plants and animals (omnivores).
Decomposers break down wastes and dead organisms.

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How does energy move in an ecosystem?

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The most energy is at the bottom level (producer) of the pyramid. The next level is first level consumers, then second level consumers then third level consumers. As you move up the pyramid, each level has less energy available than the level below. Most of the energy is at the bottom level.

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What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?

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A food chain is a series of events where one organism eats another and obtains energy. A food web is all of the food chains in an ecosystem.

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Why are there so few top level consumers?

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Because so much energy is lost at each level, and they don't get enough energy.

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What adaptations help organisms survive?

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The behaviors and physical characteristics of an organism that allow organisms to survive.

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What are the three major types of iinteractions among organisms in an ecosystem?

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Predation, Competition, and Symbiosis.

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How does predation help control populations?

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When there are many predators, there is a decrease in the size of the population of the prey that they kill, and this makes the population go down.

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Describe the three types of symbiosis.

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Mutualism - a relationship where both species benefit
Commensalism - a relationhip where one species benefits, and one species is neither harmed nor helped
Parasitism - a relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed.