Category 1
Trophic level
An organism’s position on a food chain.
Producer
An organism that is capable of performing photosynthesis, transforming energy from the Sun, and using carbon dioxide and water to make food.
Consumer
An organism that must consume other organisms for nutrients.
Primary consumer
An animal that eats the producers.
Secondary consumer
An animal that eats the primary consumers.
Tertiary consumer
An animal that eats the secondary consumers.
Biomass
Material derived from living things.
Matter
Anything that has volume and mass.
Food chain
A single linear path of energy transfer through the trophic levels of an ecosystem.
Food Web
A complex of interconnected food chains showing the trophic interactions in an ecosystem.
Decomposer -
Organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, that break down the remains of dead plants and animals without need for internal digestion.
Detrivore -
An organism that feeds on dead or decaying plant or animal remains.
Pyramid of Biomass
- The amount of energy passed on at each trophic level.
Energy Flow
The amount of energy moving through the food chain.
Group behavior
Behaviors that occur within or between groups of organisms.
Flocking
Gathering in a large group.
Schooling
When fish group together for social purposes.
Hibernation
A slowed physiological state of an organism to survive long periods of cold temperature or reduced food supplies.
Animal behavior
All the ways animals interact with members of their own kind, other animals, and the environment.
Innate behavior
A genetically instinct behavior of an organism that can be expressed without prior knowledge or exposure.
Learned behavior
A behavior that is developed from experience.
Courtship
The behavior an animal uses to attract a mate.
Adaptable B
- The ability to adapt.
Social behavior -
Interactions between individuals of the same species.
Altruism -
An animal behavior that helps another of its kind.