Ecosystems Vocabulary

Front

Commensalism

Back

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unharmed.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Front

Abiotic factors

Back

Non-living things in an ecosystem, such as water, sunlight, and minerals.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Front

Producers

Back

Organisms that make their own food by receiving energy directly from the sun through photosynthesis.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

Front

Natural Selection

Back

The process where stronger organisms survive and weaker organisms die out, leading to the evolution of species.

Front

Decomposers

Back

Organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms and return nutrients to the environment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Front

Ecosystem

Back

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and their non-living environment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Front

Biotic factors

Back

Living things in an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Front

Food Chain

Back

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Front

Food Web

Back

A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Front

Habitat

Back

The natural environment in which an organism lives, including all biotic and abiotic factors.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5