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FOOD CHAIN |
The order in which matter and energy in the form of food is transferred from one organism to another
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ECOLOGY |
The study of the ways in which organisms interact with their enviroment
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PRODUCER |
Organisms that do not eat other living things to obtain energy and nutrients
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CONSUMER |
A plant or animal that obtains food by feeding on other organisms
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DECOMPOSER |
An organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, returning essential nutrients to the ecosystem
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PHYTOPLANKTON |
Tiny organisms that make their own food, and start the food chain for aquatic animals
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ZOOPLANKTON |
Tiny organisms (microscopic, floating animals) that eat food
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SCAVENGER |
An animal that feeds on dead organisms, especially a carnivorous animal that eats dead animals rather than or in addition to hunting live prey
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ECOSYSTEM |
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment (can be as small as a puddle or as large as an ocean)
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FOOD WEB |
A complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community
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NUTRIENTS |
Food or other substance that provides energy or building material for the survival and growth of a living organism
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