Term | Definition |
system | A group of parts that work together as a unit |
stability | The condition that exists when the changes in a system over time cancel each other out |
ecosystem | Groups of living things and the environment they live in |
population | A group of the same species living in the same place at the same time |
community | All the populations that live in the same area |
habitat | An environment that meets the needs of an organism |
niche | The role or part played by an organism in its habitat |
producer | A living thing, such as a plant, that makes its own food |
consumer | A living thing that eats other living things for energy |
decomposer | A living thing that feeds on the wastes of plants and animals or on their remains after they die |
energy pyramid | A diagram that shows how much food energy is passed from one organism to another along a food chain |
food web | A diagram that shows how food chains connect and overlap |
climate | The average temperature and rainfall of an area over many years |
diversity | Variety |
salinity | The amount of salt in water |
intertidal zone | A narrow strip, along the shore, that is covered with water during high tide and exposed during low tide |
near-shore zone | Ocean zone that starts at the low-tide mark and goes out into the ocean |
open-ocean zones | The deep parts of the oceans, located far from shore |