APES - Ecosystem Vocab Quiz

Ecosystem

A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment

Ecology

the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

autotroph

An organism that makes its own food

heterotroph

organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer

Producer

An organism that makes its own food

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire. (The amount of energy plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem)

primary consumers

animals that feed on producers; ex. herbivores

secondary consumers (carnivores)

obtain their energy by eating primary consumers

tertiary consumers (carnivores)

eat secondary consumers

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals

Detritivore

organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

Decomposers

Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms

trophic level

Each step in a food chain or food web

food chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

food web

a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

energy pyramid

A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web

10% rule

Only 10% of the total energy produced at each trophic level is available to the next level. The amount of energy passed up to the levels of the food pyramid reduces as you go up.

Bioaccumulation

An increased concentration of a chemical within an organism over time

Biomagnification

accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain