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Ecosystems
Vocabulary Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| producers | organisms that make their own food using the Sun's energy (plants) |
| consumers | organisms that must eat other organisms to survive |
| decomposers | organisms that break down dead matter |
| predators | animals that hunt to eat |
| prey | animals that are hunted |
| carrying capacity | the maximum amount of plants and animals that an area can support |
| parasite | feeds on and harms its host organism |
| behavioral adaptation | a change in an organism's behavior that helps it survive |
| structural adaptation | an organism's physical structure that helps it survive in its environment |
| protective coloration | when an animal is the same color as its background (camouflage) |
| protective resemblance | when an animal has the same color AND shape of its envorinment |
| biotic | living organisms in an ecosystem |
| abiotic | nonliving features in an ecosystem |
| natural events | when things happen in nature that are not caused by humans |