The interaction between a community of living organisms and their environment
Community
All the organisms that live in a habitat (plants and animals)
Population
All of the members of a single species that live within a geographical area
Food chain
A sequence (usually shown as a diagram) of feeding relationships between organisms, showing which organisms eat what and the movement of energy through trophic levels
Food web
A network of food chains, showing how they all link together
Habitat
A place where plants, animals and microorganisms live
Producer
Plants that begin food chains by making energy from carbon dioxide and water
Photosynthesis
A chemical process used by plants to make glucose and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water, using light energy. Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis
Biomass
The dry mass of an organism
Primary consumer
The name given to an organism that eats a producer. A herbivore
Secondary consumer
An organism that obtains its energy by eating the primary consumer
Predator
An animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals for food
Prey
Organisms that predators kill for food
Decomposer
An organism which eats dead organisms, fallen leaves, animal droppings, etc, and breaks them down into simpler materials
Enzyme
A protein which catalyses or speeds up a chemical reaction
Decompose
If a substance decomposes, it breaks down into simpler compounds or elements
