| A | B |
|---|
| biomass | all of the organic material in an ecosystem |
| carnivore | consumers that eat other consumers |
| chemosynthesis | producing carbohydrates by using energy from inorganic molecules |
| consumer | organisms that obtain energy by consuming organic material made by other organisms. |
| decomposer | organisms that cause decay by breaking down complex organic molecules into simpler ones. |
| detritrivore | consumers that feed on the dead and the waste of other organisms |
| food chain | a pathway of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem that results in energy transfer. |
| food web | interrelated food chains in an ecosystem. |
| gross primary productivity | the rate at which producers in an ecosystem capture energy |
| herbivore | organisms that eat producers (plants) |
| net primary productivity | the rate at which biomass accumulates |
| omnivore | organism that eats producers or consumers |
| producer | autotrophs that use energy to make organic molecules (sugars and proteins) |
| trophic level | indicates the position in the sequence of energy transfer |
