Energy Pyramid

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Food Chain Noun

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[food chayn]

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Food Chain

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A series of organisms that eat one another, showing a single path of energy and nutrient flow through an ecosystem.

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Example: This diagram shows how energy flows in a single path from the sun to a producer (grass), through various consumers, and finally to a decomposer.

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Food Web Noun

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[food web]

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Food Web

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A model showing many interconnected food chains and the multiple paths of energy flow within a particular ecosystem.

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Example: This diagram shows a desert food web. Arrows indicate the flow of energy from plants (producers) to the animals (consumers) that eat them.

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Trophic Level Noun

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[troh-fik lev-uhl]

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Trophic Level

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Each step or feeding position in a food chain or food web, representing an organism's role in energy transfer.

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Example: This energy pyramid shows trophic levels, where energy flows from producers (bottom) to consumers (top), with only 10% of energy moving to the next level.

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Producers Noun

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[pruh-doo-sers]

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Producers

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Organisms that create their own food from an energy source, such as sunlight, forming the base of a food chain.

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Example: This table shows that producers, which make their own food, include different types of plants, algae, and bacteria found in land and water ecosystems.

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Autotrophs Noun

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[aw-toh-trohfs]

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Autotrophs

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An organism that can produce its own food from inorganic substances, often through photosynthesis; also known as a producer.

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Example: This diagram shows a plant, an autotroph, using light energy from the sun to create its own food (sugar) through the process of photosynthesis.

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Consumers Noun

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[kuhn-soo-mers]

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Consumers

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Organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms because they are unable to produce their own food.

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Example: This food chain shows how consumers get energy by eating other organisms, from the primary consumer (grasshopper) to the apex predator (owl).

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Heterotrophs Noun

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[het-er-uh-trohfs]

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Heterotrophs

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An organism that cannot manufacture its own food and must obtain energy by consuming other organisms; a consumer.

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Example: This food chain shows heterotrophs like the grasshopper, frog, and snake, which get energy by consuming other organisms, unlike the producer (grass).

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Primary Consumers Noun

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[pry-mair-ee kuhn-soo-mers]

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Primary Consumers

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Organisms that feed directly on producers, occupying the second trophic level in a food chain or food web.

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Example: This diagram shows a rabbit labeled as a 'Primary Consumer' because it gets its energy by eating grass, which is a 'Producer'.

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Herbivores Noun

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[hur-buh-vorz]

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Herbivores

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An animal that obtains its energy and nutrients by feeding exclusively on plants; a type of primary consumer.

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Example: This image defines herbivores as animals that eat plants and provides six clear, recognizable examples, including a zebra, cow, and sheep.

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Carnivores Noun

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[kar-nuh-vorz]

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Carnivores

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An animal that obtains its energy and nutrients by feeding primarily or exclusively on the flesh of other animals.

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Example: This chart lists examples of carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores, but fails to explain a carnivore's role or position within an energy pyramid.