Ecosystems Notes:
Cell - the smallest part of a living thing
Organism – another name for a living thing (plant or animal)
Vacuole – part of cell that stores food, waste, and water
Cell membrane – holds the parts of the cell together and controls what passes in and out of
the cell
Nucleus – controls the cell’s activities
Cytoplasm – a jellylike substance that surrounds all the parts of the cell
Ecosystem – all the living and nonliving things in an area
Population – individuals of the same kind living in the same environment
Abiotic factors of an environment are the non-living things (sunlight, soil, air, water,..)
Biotic factors are all the living things in an environment
Community – all of the populations of an area
Limiting Factor – any resource that restricts the growth of populations. (Water is a limiting
factor for plants in the desert Not enough shelter for large numbers of nests would limit a
hawk population Space is a limiting factor for animals that need large territories.)
Producer – organism that produces its own food – Plants
Consumer – living things that must eat to get their energy
Herbivore – animal that eats plants for their food
Carnivore – animals that eat other animals for their food
Omnivore – animals that eat both plants and animals for food
Predators – animals that hunt their food
Prey – an animal that is being hunted for food
Decomposer – a consumer that breaks down tissues of decaying organisms so they can turn
it into soil
Parasite – an organism that spends most of its life in or on a living host usually causing
harm to the host
Host – the organism that serves as a home or a source of food for a parasite
Microorganisms – living things that are too small to be seen without a magnifier
Terrestrial – land based
Forests – many trees, shrubs, grasses and ferns. Has a variety of animals. Gets more rain
than grasslands. Temperatures vary depending on where the forest is located.
Grasslands – have fertile soil and are covered with tall grasses. Temperatures vary
depending on where the grassland is located. (prairie dogs, bison, grasshoppers)
Aquatic – water based
Lakes and Ponds – bodies of freshwater that are surrounded by land. Ponds are usually
shallower than lakes and the temperature of the water usually stays the same from top to
bottom. Plants and algae usually grow along the edges where the water is shallow. Some
examples of animals are different types of fish, amphibians, ducks, turtles, or beavers;
Oceans – the world’s largest ecosystem. Large bodies of saltwater divided by continents.
Most organisms live where the ocean is shallow because sunlight can reach deep and the
water is warm.
Estuaries – found where the freshwater rivers meet the oceans. Estuaries contain salt
marshes with grasses and marsh plants adapted to this changing water. The nursery for the
ocean. Crabs, shrimp, birds, muskrats