ECOSYSTEM

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"All the living and non-living things together in an environment make up an ecosystem"

"All the living members of an ecosystem make up a community"

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Ecosystems "when left alone" are balanced

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"All the populations in an ecosystem must contribute to the community.

The community and the environment together create the ecosystem."

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"Every organism in an ecosystem has a place to live called a habitat.

Soil is the habitat of earthworms, wood is the habitat of termites."

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"Every organism also has a function within the ecosystem.

This function, or job, is called a niche."

The function of green plants is to harnass the energy of the sun. Their niche is to use sunlight to make food for the whole system by photosynthesis.

Energy flows through an ecosystem. Different organisms, with different niches, each contribute to perform their role in moving energy through an ecosystem.

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"Ecosystems also change constantly. Birds, fish, and animals come and go with the seasons. Plants go dormant during winter and weather from seasonal changes adds or removes water from the system. Every change in an ecosystem sets off other changes. This is how an ecosystem stays in balance. Some water leaves a system, other water enters. Some fish are eaten by predetors, some fish are born. An ecosystem is an area that is in balance between all it's parts."

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