Vocabulary - Chapter 3: Ecosystems

What is an autotroph?

• Organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer

• Organism that obtains food by consuming other living things; also called consumers

• Organism that breaks down dead or decaying organisms, carrying out the natural process of decomposition

• Organism that lives in or on another organism and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense

Define primary producer.

• First producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms

• Material made up of decaying bits of plant and animal material

• Organism that breaks down dead material for energy

• Animal that feeds only on plants

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What is photosynthesis?

• Process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

• Process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates

• Process by which animals break down food to release energy

• Process of converting oxygen into carbon dioxide during respiration

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Explain chemosynthesis.

• Process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates

• Process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide to water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

• Process in which organisms break down food to release energy

• Process by which green plants lose water through their leaves

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What is a heterotroph?

• Organism that obtains food by consuming other living things; also called consumers

• Organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer

• Organism that can survive without consuming any food

• Organism that only eats plants

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Define consumer.

• Organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterotroph

• First producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms

• Organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter

• Organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

What is detritus?

• Material made up of decaying bits of plant and animal material

• Total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

• Organisms that produce their own food from sunlight

• Animals that feed only on plants

Explain a food chain.

• Series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

• Network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem

• Process by which plants make their own food using sunlight

• Movement of water through the environment in different forms

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What are phytoplankton?

• Photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean

• Process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide to water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

• Large marine animals that feed on smaller fish

• Non-photosynthetic organisms that live on the ocean floor

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Define food web.

• Network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem

• Series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

• Group of organisms that share similar physical characteristics

• Process by which plants make their own food using sunlight

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