| A | B |
|---|
| autotrophs | use sunlight energy to make carbohydrates (food/sugar/glucose) |
| producer | can produce its own food |
| photosynthesis | use light energy to power the chemical reactions that store energy in glucose |
| chemosynthesie | use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates |
| heterotrophs | obtain energy from the foods (other oganisms) they consumes |
| consumers | rely on other organisms for their food supply and the energy stored there |
| herbivores | obtain energy by eating only plant materials |
| omnivores | obtain energy by eating both plant and animal materials |
| detritivores | feed on plant and animal remains, wastes, and other dead matter |
| decomposers | break down and obtain energy from dead organic matter, and return the compounds back to the soil. |
| food chain | series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy from one level to another by eating and being eaten |
| food web | network of the complex interactions and energy transfers formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
| trophic level | step in a food chain or food web |
| ecological pyramid | diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy |
| biomass | total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level |
| evaporation | process by which water changes from a liquid into an atmospheric gas |
| transpiration | water leaves plant |
| nutrient | chemical substance that an organism requires to live |
| nitrogent fixation | process of converting nitrogen has into ammonia |
| primary productivity | rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem |
