Discovery Education
community
a group of different populations that live together and interact in an environment
species
a group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can mate with each other to produce offspring
food web
a model that shows many different feeding relationships among living things
food chain
a model that shows one set of feeding relationships among living things
nutrients
a substance such as a fat, a protein, or a carbohydrate that a living thing needs to survive
carbon dioxide
a waste product made by cells of the body; a gas in the air made of carbon and oxygen atoms: Humans rid themselves of carbon dioxide waste by exhaling, or breathing out.
ecosystem
all the living and nonliving things in an area that interact with each other
environment
all the living and nonliving things that surround an organism
predator
an animal that hunts and eats another animal
prey
an animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal
wetland
an area of land where there is water on the surface or where the soil is completely filled with water for at least part of the year
consumer
an organism that eats other living things to get energy; an organism that does not produce its own food (related word: consume)
producer
an organism that makes its own food; an organism that does not consume other plants or animals
organism
any individual living thing
energy {organisms}
the ability to do work or cause change; can be stored in chemicals found in food and released to the organism to do work
biodiversity
the many different types of life that exist in an environment
biological diversity
the presence of many different types of organisms in an ecosystem
decompose
to break down into simple nutrients (related word: decomposition, decomposer)
decay
to break down or wear away
survive
to continue living or existing: An organism survives until it dies; a species survives until it becomes extinct. (related word: survival)
recycle
to create new materials from used products
pollute
to put harmful materials into the air, water, or soil (related words: pollution, pollutant)
light
waves of electromagnetic energy; electromagnetic energy that people can see
