ecosystem definitions

• ecosystem

  a natural system made up of plants, animals and the environment
• local ecosystem

  an ecosystem on a small scale, known as a 'habitat' such as a pond or woodland
• regional ecosystem

  an ecosystem on a medium scale, such as a moorland area
• global ecosystems

  An ecosystem on a large scale, such as a Tropical Rainforest. Also known as Biomes.
• biotic

  living components of an ecosystem
• abiotic

  non-living components of an ecosystem
• biome

  a large scale ecosystem, covering a large area of the earth's surface
• producer

  an organism or plant able to convert energy from the sun by photosynthesis
• consumer

  an organism that eats herbivores and/or plant matter
• herbivore

  plant eating insects or animals such as cows
• carnivore (secondary consumer)

  animals which feed on herbivores, such as foxes and cats
• top carnivore

  Animals which hunt and will eat other carnivores in the ecosystem, as well as herbivores. These include lions and wolves.
• decomposer

  An organism such as bacteria or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled back into the environment.
• food chain

  The direct links between producers and consumers in the form of a line
• food web

  The connections between producers and consumers in a complex way with several ‘branches’
• biomass

  The total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area, or volume
• biodiversity

  The variety of life in the world, or particular habitat/ecosystem
• nutrient cycling

  A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain and ultimately, after death, back into the soil and water
• trophic levels


  Any of the sequential stages in a food chain, occupied by producers at the bottom and in turn by primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers. Decomposers are sometimes considered to occupy their own level. The rate at which energy is transferred from one level to the next is called the ecological efficiency
• physical linkage 


  A link between different parts of the ecosystem that are physical e.g. Animals eating plants.
• chemical linkage 


  A link between different parts of the ecosystem that are chemical e.g. Mild acids in rainwater speed up the decay of dead leaves