Vocabulary
An organism that makes their own food using the sun's energy
Producer
Living or once living organisms in an ecosystem
Biotic Factor
Living organisms that get their energy by breaking down dead organisms
Decomposer
An individual form of life, such as a plant, an animal, a bacterium, a protist, or a fungus
Organism
What are organisms that make their own food called
producers
An organism that feeds on other organisms because they lack the ability to make their own food (carnivores, omnivores, herbivores).
Consumer
the process by which plants change the energy in sunlight to kinds of energy that can be stored for later use
photosynthesis
A network of pathways by which energy and nutrients are passed from one organism to another
Food Web
What is the path of energy as one organism eats another called? (Food Chain/Food Web/Ecosystem)
food chain
Give an example of a consumer. (Tree/Mouse/Sun)
mouse
Another name for producer
Autotroph
what is an OMNIVORE
plant AND animal eater
A representation of how energy is actually transferred from one organism to another
Food Chain
how do DECOMPOSERS play a role in an ecosystem?
break down dead matter and recycle energy
this ecosystem is warm, dry, and has little vegetation
DESERT
an animal that feeds on dead matter
SCAVENGER
Name 2 ways that HUMANS can affect an ecosytem
- planting invasive species
- burning fossil fuels
- polluting oceans
A visual representation of the amount of energy available
Energy Pyramid
Name one ways that ANIMALS can affect an ecosystem
- beavers building dams causing flooding
this ecosystem is cold, treeless, and has little vegetation
TUNDRA
Energy enters MOST ecosystems as this
Sunlight
producers send energy to _______, which then die off and transfer energy to _____ to complete the flow of energy
DECOMPOSERS
what is the difference between an carnivore and a herbivore?
carnivore - meat eaters
herbivore - plant eater
a foreign plant or animal that takes over an area is called....
invasive species
this ecosystem has grass fields with few trees
GRASSLAND