Ecosystems

• Ecosystem


  All the things that interact in a specific area, both living and non-living
• Non-living parts of an ecosystem


  • Sunlight
  • Temperature
  • Air
  • Wind
  • Water
  • Rocks
  • Soil
• Living parts of an ecosystem


  • Plants
  • Animals
• Types of living things in an ecosystem


  • Producers
  • Consumers
  • Decomposers
• Producers


  Produce or make their own food, usually through photosynthesis
• Consumers


  Need to consume or eat their food
• Types of consumers


  • Herbivores
  • Carnivores
  • Omnivores
• All the parts of an ecosystem must work together to reach a balance that allows each of the members of the system to thrive
• Waste


  Byproducts created by living things, like leaves, animal droppings, etc.
• Decomposers


  • Organisms like bacteria, fungi, insects, and worms that break down waste and the remains of dead plants and animals to get energy
• All living things need energy to survive
• Food chain


  A model showing how energy flows between living things in an ecosystem, from plant to animal to other animals
• How energy flows in an ecosystem


  1. Plants use energy from the sun to create chemical energy

  2. Animals get energy by eating plants or other animals

  3. Decomposers break down waste and dead organisms to release nutrients back into the ecosystem for plants to use
• Losing decomposers in a food chain would completely mess up the balance of the ecosystem