5th Grade Ecosystems Vocabulary
Individual – a single organism in an environment
Population – Individuals of the same species in the same environment
Community – Populations of different organisms living in an environment
Habitat – the place where a population lives in an ecosystem
Ecosystem – A community and its environment
Biome – a large scale ecosystem such as deserts, forests, grasslands, tundra, aquatic or
marine biomes.
Niche – The role or job of an organism or population in the environment
Energy Pyramid: The flow of energy through a food chain or food web. The
levels begin with the producer on the bottom of the pyramid and
works upward. The next level is the Primary Consumer (1st
consumer), then Secondary Consumer (2nd consumer) and last is the
Tertiary Consumer (3rd consumer).
Adaptation – behaviors or physical characteristics that help an organism to
survive. Examples: camouflage, types of beaks for birds, webbed
feet and feathers that repel water for ducks, camel’s ability to store
water, and the cactus’s ability to store water or its spiny thorns to
help protect it and loses less water than leaves are all physical.
Behaviors such as staying in groups/herds for protection such as
bison, elephants, zebras or hunting in groups like coyotes or
hyenas, bears hibernating in the winter and other animals that
migrate to new locations for food or climate changes are how many
animals survive.
Competition:
Symbiosis:
The contest between organisms for limited resources. Examples
of an animal’s way of winning this competition is: speed, use of
camouflage, hunting in groups to scare other competition, and
other physical or behavioral adaptations.
Long term relationships between organisms. The 3 types of
Relationships we studied are:
 Mutualism: When both organisms benefit from their relationship,
such as a clown fish and a sea anemone or bees and flowers.
 Commensalism: When one organism benefits but the other one is
neither harmed or helped. The bacteria that live in a mosquito only
to get a ride to another organism. The bacteria is the one that
benefits, it gets a ride and the mosquito is not harmed or helped.
 Parasitism: This is when one organism benefits and the other is
harmed. For example a tick or mosquito. They both can feed on the
blood of their host (humans or other animals) and get food. The
human or animal will get a bite that could carry a disease such as
malaria or lime disease.
Camouflage: An organism’s ability to blend in with its surroundings. Like
chameleons, lions, deer, sand-colored fish or the walking stick.
Know…..
How do animals and plants interact?
 Some animals eat plants, some animals use plants for shelter, some animals use
plants for camouflage, but all animals either eat plants or they eat other animals
that eat plants.
 Plants get nutrients from decomposed animals. They also get help in
transporting their seeds to other locations by animals.
What happens when one part of a food chain or food web is no longer a link in
the chain or web?
 If one member of a food chain or web is no longer a link the other
populations may increase or decrease according to the organism that
leaves. For example: When a frog is no longer in the following food
chain several things might happen.
Sun→Grass→Grasshopper→Frog→Snake→Owl
1.
2.
3.
4.
There will be an increase in grasshopper population without a predator.
There is less grass due to all the grasshoppers eating it.
When the grass disappears so will the grasshoppers.
With no grasshoppers to eat the snakes must go somewhere else to look
for food.
5. Owls would have to eat things other than snakes or go somewhere else
for food.
Over time the following could happen:
6. If all of these organisms don’t find what they need their populations will
die off and this will affect other populations of organisms.
7. If this continues, humans will be affected as well until there is nothing
left untouched.
8. All organisms could die.
What can humans do to harm the environment?
 Pollution of water, air and soil
 Over hunting
 Cutting trees and not replanting
 Disturbing or invading areas where endangered species live
How can humans help the environment?
 Planting trees
 Recycling items such as paper products, aluminum, glass, etc.
 Providing help to increase the population of endangered species
 Don’t pollute
 Carpooling
 Use energy efficient cars and appliances
 Use solar energy