Trophic Levels

Heterotrophs

incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain their energy by consuming other organisms

Primary Consumers

consumers that eat producers

Carnivores

consumers that eat other consumers

Secondary Consumers

carnivores tat eat primary consumers

Tertiary Consumers

consumers that eat secondary consumers

Trophic Levels

The successive levels of organisms consuming one another

Food chain

The sequence of consumption from producers through primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers, which is usually the highest trophic level

Scavengers

organisms, such as vultures that consume dead animals

Detrivores

organisms that specialize in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller products

Decomposers

the fungi and bacteria that complete the breakdown process by converting organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the organisms

Ecological Efficiency

The proportion of consumed energy that can be transferred from one trophic level to another

10% Rule

Of all the total biomass available at a trophic level, only 10% can be converted into energy at the next higher trophic level

Trophic Pyramid

The distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels

Food Web

A model of how energy and matter move through two or more interconnected food chains

Competition

individuals of different species compete for the same resource in an ecosystem

Predation

a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey

Mutualism

Symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to both organisms involved

Symbiosis

Interaction between two different organisms in the way of physical association

Commensalism

An association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other neither benefits nor harm