Ecology

What is ecology?

Ecology is the study of how plants and animals are related to one another and to their surroundings.
Green plants make their own food, so they called producers.
Plants are important to animals. Animals cannot make their own food. They depend upon plants for food and so are called consumers.
Animals get food by eating plants or other animals. We call animals that feed on other animals predators. A prey is an animal that is eaten by a predator.
Green plants use energy from the sun to make food. Thus, there is a flow of energy from the sun to green plants, animal and finally to decomposers. Decomposers help to break down dead plants and animal into simpler subtances and in doing so, release nutrients into the soil.
This food relationship among green plants, plant-eaters and animal-eatersfrom a food chain.