Energy in Ecosystems

Front

What is an autotroph?

Back

An organism that produces its own food using sunlight or chemical energy, such as plants.

Front

What is a heterotroph?

Back

An organism that cannot produce its own food and must consume other organisms for energy, such as animals.

Front

What is a herbivore?

Back

An animal that primarily eats plants.

Front

What is a carnivore?

Back

An animal that primarily eats other animals.

Front

What is a decomposer?

Back

An organism that breaks down dead organisms and returns nutrients to the soil.

Front

What is a consumer?

Back

An organism that eats plants and/or other animals for energy.

Front

What is biomass?

Back

The total mass of living matter in a given area or volume, often used as a measure of energy in ecosystems.

Front

What role do producers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Producers, like plants, convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food chain.

Front

What is the food chain?

Back

A sequence that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to another in an ecosystem.

Front

What is an example of a primary consumer?

Back

An herbivore that eats producers, such as a rabbit.