What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is made up of all the living and nonliving things that interact in an area.  There are many different ecosystems, including polar, forest, tundra, and desert ecosystems. Different ecosystems are home to different kinds of plants and animals.

Living organisms need 5 things to survive: air, water, shelter, space, food.

Vocabulary:
Organic matter - remains of plants and animals.
Habitat - the place where a population lives.
environment - everything surrounding a living thing.
Community - made up of different populations.
Population - all the members of ONE kind of plant or animal.

Interdependence - depending on others to meet your needs
Producer - living thing that makes its own food. (EX:  Plants)
Consumer - it gets energy by consuming plants or animals
Decomposer - breaks down dead plants and animals
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Questions to consider:

1. What do you think happens when you remove one part of an ecosystem?  
2. What happens when you make an ecosystem less diverse?

Part 1 - begin and stop at 4:45. (Introduction to Ecosystems)
Part 2 - begin at 6:30 and stop at 7:25 ,  Start at 12:07 and stop at 12:43   (interdependence) 
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