1. Ecosystems

2. Ecosystems
All the living AND nonliving parts of an environment, plus how they interact.

3. Terrestrial Ecosystems
On land.
Examples: Forests, deserts, grasslands.
N.C.’s main ecosystem: temperate deciduous forest.

4. Freshwater Ecosystems
Rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands.
N.C. has many river ecosystems home to:
Fish, otters, alligators, algae, plants, moss.

5. Marine Ecosystems
Salty water; oceans.

6. Species
Group of organisms that share characteristics and can breed with one another.
Example: white-tailed deer.

7. Populations All the members of a species living in a certain area.
Example: white-tailed deer in a forest.

8. Community All the populations of different species living in an area.
Example: white-tailed deer, chipmunks, trees, fungi, insects living in a forest.

9. Competition
Members of a population & community compete for what they need to survive:
Water, space, sunlight, food.

10. Habitat The place where an organism lives.
Example: a rotting log is a habitat for insects, worms, fungi.

11. Niche
How an organism acts (the role it plays) in an ecosystem.

12. Biotic The LIVING factors in an ecosystem.
Examples: all the plants, fungi, and animals in a forest.

13. Abiotic All the NONliving factors in an ecosystem.
Examples: light, temperature, weather, soil, water.