An ecosystem is like a big community where living things, like plants and animals, work together with their surroundings, which are non-living things like water and air.

Parts of Ecosystems:

• Living Things (Biotic):

  • Plants: These are called producers since they make their own food.
  • Herbivores: These are animals that eat plants, known as primary consumers.
  • Carnivores: These are animals that eat other animals. They can be secondary or tertiary consumers, depending on where they are in the food chain.
  • Decomposers: These are tiny organisms like bacteria and fungi that break down dead plants and animals.

• Non-Living Things (Abiotic):

  • Sunlight: This is the main energy source for life on Earth.
  • Water: This is really important for all living things.
  • Soil: It gives nutrients that help plants grow.
  • Air: This contains oxygen and carbon dioxide, which are vital for many living organisms.

Interesting Facts:

• About 90% of the energy from sunlight is lost as heat when it moves through food chains.
• Decomposers are super important because they recycle 90% of nutrients back into the ecosystem.

This means everything in an ecosystem works together, and each part plays an important role!