Ecosystems, Photosynthesis, and Food Webs Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering energy flow, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, organism roles, trophic levels, food chains, food webs, and ecosystem sustainability.

Photosynthesis

The process occurring in plants, algae, and some bacteria where light energy, carbon dioxide ($\text{CO}_2$), and water ($\text{H}_2\text{O}$) react to produce glucose ($\text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6$) and oxygen ($\text{O}_2$).

Chloroplast

An organelle in green plant cells that contains chlorophyll to trap light energy from the Sun.

Stomata

Small openings on plant leaves through which carbon dioxide enters and oxygen is released.

Cellular Respiration

The process taking place in mitochondria where cells break down glucose to release usable energy for growth, repair, and movement.

Autotrophs

Organisms (producers) that carry out photosynthesis to bring solar energy into biological systems and convert it into chemical energy.

Cyanobacteria

Bacteria that carry out photosynthesis to make their own food.

Phytoplankton

Single-celled photosynthesizing organisms (marine algae) located at the base of aquatic ecosystems.

Heterotrophs

Organisms (consumers) that eat other organisms to obtain energy because they cannot produce their own food.

Herbivores

Consumers that feed exclusively on producers (plants).

Carnivores

Consumers that eat only meat or other animals.

Scavengers

Carnivores that eat the remains of dead animals.

Omnivores

Consumers that eat both plants and animals.

Detritivores

Decomposers that feed on dead organisms and animal wastes by releasing chemicals to break down organic matter and absorbing nutrients.

Trophic Level

The specific feeding level at which an organism exists in a food chain or food web.

10% Rule

The principle stating that only $10\%$ of energy moves up to the next trophic level in a food web, while $90\%$ is used by the organism to live.

Food Chain

A simple model showing a single pathway of matter and energy movement through organisms in an ecosystem.

Food Web

A network of interconnected food chains showing all possible feeding relationships in a community across trophic levels.

Sustainability

The ability to use resources in a way that ensures they are preserved and last for many generations.

Sustainable Food Web

A food web with high biodiversity, balanced predator-prey relationships, and multiple food chains, allowing the ecosystem to adapt if a species is removed.

Unsustainable Food Web

A food web with low biodiversity and fewer food chains, where some species are over-preyed upon and removal of a species can severely disrupt the ecosystem.