KS3 Science · Biology
Ecosystems
Six short lessons. Look at the picture, learn three things, then play.
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Key words
Food chain Shows what eats what, in one line that starts with a producer
Food web Food chains from one ecosystem joined together
Producer A green plant or alga that makes its own food
Consumer An animal that eats plants or other animals
Primary consumer The first consumer in a chain: it eats the producer
Secondary consumer The second consumer in a chain: it eats the primary consumer
Predator An animal that hunts and eats other animals
Prey An animal that is hunted and eaten
Herbivore An animal that eats only plants
Carnivore An animal that eats only other animals
Decomposer Breaks down dead plants and animals, so nutrients are recycled
Habitat The place where a living thing lives
Population All the living things of one species in an area
Community All the populations that share a habitat
Ecosystem The living things in an area and their non-living environment
Interdependence Living things in a food web relying on each other
Competition A struggle for the same food, water, light or space
Bioaccumulation The build-up of a toxin inside living things