Biomes & Ecosystems Vocabulary

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Ecology

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The study of how living things interact with each other and with their environment.

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Detritivore

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An organism that feeds on dead plants and animals by eating and digesting them. Example: Earthworms, beetles.

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Consumer

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An organism that eats producers or other consumers.

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Ecosystem

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All the living and nonliving things that interact in a particular area.

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Scavenger

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A carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead animals.

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Producer

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An organism that can make its own food, typically through photosynthesis.

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Decomposer

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An organism that breaks down dead or decaying organisms, returning nutrients to the soil.

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Habitat

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The natural environment in which a particular species of organism lives.

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Biodiversity

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The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

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Food Chain

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