| A | B |
|---|
| biogeochemical cycle | substance enters organism, stays awhile, then returns to nonliving environment |
| producers | organisms in an ecosystem that FIRST capture energy |
| consumers | organisms that get energy by consuming other organisms |
| trophic levels | a level based on an organism's source of energy |
| food chain | path of energy through trophic levels |
| herbivore | eats plants or other primary producers |
| carnivore | eats herbivores |
| omnivore | both herbivore and carnivore |
| detrivore | obtains energy from organic wastes and dead bodies |
| decomposer | bacteria and fungi that cause decay |
| energy pyramid | a diagram that represents trophic levels |
| ground water | water retained beneath the earth's surface |
| nitrogen fixation | process of combining nitrogen with hydrogen to form ammonia |
| abiotic factors | physical aspects of a habitat |
| biodiversity | the number of species living within an ecosystem |
| biotic factors | the living organisms within a habitat |
| community | the variety of species living in an ecosystem |
| ecosystems | a community and all its physical aspects |
| habitat | the place where a particular population of a species lives |
| pioneer species | the first organisms to live in a new habitat |
| primary succession | succession where plants have not grown before |
| secondary succession | succession occurs where there is previous growth |
| succession | a somewhat regular progression of species replacement |
| food web | an interconnected group of food chains |
| biomass | the dry weight of organic matter in an ecosystem |
| transpiration | evaporation of water from leaves |
