study of a habitat definitions

• habitat- place where an organism lives
• ecology- the study of how plants and animals interact with each other and with their surrpundings/ environment
• ecosystems- large areas containing similar types of environments and living things
• abiotic- non- living
• community- consists of all the organisms living in a particular area
• adaptation- structure or habit that helps an organism to survive in its habitat or within its community
• competition- when two or more organisms require something that is in scarce supply
• interdependence- living things depend on each other for their survival
• decomposers- organisms that feed on dead plants and animals eg. woodlice
• producers- plants that make their own food
• consumers- animals that get their food by eating plants and other animals
• food chain- list of organisms in which each organism is eaten by the next one in the chain
• food web- consists of two or more interconnected food chains
• matter flow- the way in which matter passes through a food chain
• quadrat- a frame used to estimate the number of plants in a habitat
• herbivore- animal that eats plants only
• carnivore- animal that eats other animals only
• omnivore- an animal that eats both plants and animals
• pooter- a device used to collect animals, suck into straw
• sweep net- a device used to collect animals
• beating tray- device used to collect animals
• pitfall trap- device used to collect animals, put in ground
• energy flow- 90% of energy lost when passing from organism to organism