Ecology (Food Web) Quiz Study Guide

These flashcards cover important definitions and concepts related to ecology, food webs, and energy dynamics within ecosystems.

Decomposer

An organism that gets food from breaking down dead organisms.

Food Web

A diagram that shows the feeding relationships between many species in an ecosystem.

Producer

An organism that can make food often through photosynthesis.

Trophic level

The individual steps in a food chain or food pyramid.

Artificial Selection

A process in which humans deliberately select traits.

Primary Consumer

Also known as herbivores; obtain energy by consuming producers.

Secondary Consumer

Organisms that consume primary producers for energy, such as frogs or birds.

Tertiary Consumer

Carnivores that consume secondary producers and are often apex predators.

Herbivore

An organism that primarily eats plants; also known as primary consumers.

Omnivore

An organism that eats both plants and animals.

Abiotic Factor

Non-living components of an environment, such as water, temperature, and sunlight.

Biotic Factor

Living components of an environment, such as plants and animals.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms and their interactions with their environment.

Biome

Similar ecosystems containing similar climate and plants.

Biosphere

The Earth; the global sum of all ecosystems.