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Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
Biosphere
the region of our planet where life resides, the combination of all ecosystems on Earth
Producer/Autotroph
An organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy
Photosynthesis
The process by which producers/autotrophs use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose
Scavengers
Organisms that consume dead animals
Detritivore
An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles
Decomposers
Fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem
Cellular Respiration
The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds
Aerobic Respiration
The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water
Anaerobic Respiration
The process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen
Consumer/Heterotroph
An organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms
Herbivore/Primary Consumer
A consumer that eats producers
Carnivore
A consumer that eats other consumers
Secondary Consumer
A carnivore that eats primary consumers/herbivores
Tertiary Consumer
A carnivore that eats secondary consumers
Trophic Levels
The successive levels of organisms consuming one another
Food Chain
The sequence of consumption, from producers through tertiary consumers
Food Web
A complex model of how energy or matter moves between trophic levels
Gross Primary Productivity/GPP
The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time
Net Primary Productivity/NPP
The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem, minus the energy that producers respire
Biomass
The total mass of all living matter in a specific area
Standing Crop
The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time
Ecological Efficiency
The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another
Trophic Pyramid
A representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels
