Key Vocabulary in Ecology

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Food Web

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A network of interconnected food chains showing the energy flow through an ecosystem.

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Predator

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An organism that hunts and eats other organisms.

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Prey

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An organism that is hunted and eaten by predators.

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Producer

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An organism that makes its own food using sunlight (e.g., plants, algae).

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Primary Consumer

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Herbivores that eat producers.

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Secondary Consumer

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Carnivores that eat primary consumers.

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Tertiary Consumer

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Carnivores that eat secondary consumers.

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Decomposer

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Organisms like bacteria and fungi that break down dead matter.

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Mutualism

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A relationship where both species benefit.

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Commensalism

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A relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.