ECOSYSTEMS

Living or nonliving?

Living vs. Nonliving A living thing is called an organism (or-guh-niz-um). Living and nonliving things interact together. This is called ecology. An adaptation is a characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment. Can you think of some living and nonliving things in this classroom? Living or nonliving?

Habitats (hab-ih-tat) A habitat is a specific environment that meets the needs of an organism. A habitat can only keep a certain number of organisms alive depending on how the habitat provides for the needs of the organisms. The role an organism plays in its habitat is called a niche (neesh). Switcharoo Zoo More Habitats..

Species, Population, Community Species: a group of organisms that mate and produce offspring like themselves. Population: Organisms of the same species that live in the same place at the same time. Community: Populations that live in the same place at the same time.

Ecosystems An ecosystem is an environment where all the living and nonliving things are interacting with each other. In most ecosystems, organisms provide one of three main functions. Producers such as green plants take energy from the sun and turn it into a form that they can use. Consumers eat producers and, in turn, gain energy. When organisms die, decomposers help break down their tissues, returning some of the nutrients to the environment where they can be recycled into new life-forms.

Producers Plants are called producers. This is because they produce their own food! They do this by using light energy from the Sun, carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to produce food - in the form of glucouse/sugar. The process is called Photosynthesis

Decomposer Bacteria and fungi are decomposers. They eat decaying matter - dead plants and animals and in the process they break them down and decompose them When that happens, they release nutrients and mineral salts back into the soil - which then will be used by plants!

Consumer Animals are called consumers. This is because they cannot make their own food, so they need to consume (eat) plants and/or animals. There are three types of consumers. Herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. Test your knowledge of consumers, producers, and decomposers!

Types of Consumers Herbivore: organism that eats only plants. Carnivore: organism that eats other animals. Omnivore: organism that eats plants and other animals. Can you tell who eats what?

Food Chains The path of energy from one organism to the next is called a food chain. Each organism is a link the food chain. When food chains overlap, it is a called a food web.