Ecology is the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment. An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that all interact with each other. Producers, like plants, make their own food through photosynthesis, while consumers, like animals, eat other organisms to get energy. Decomposers, like bacteria and fungi, break down dead plants and animals so that their nutrients can be returned to the soil. Everything is connected in an ecosystem, and if one thing changes, it can affect the whole system.