29 Food Webs and Trophic Interactions

A collection of vocabulary flashcards derived from lecture notes on food webs, trophic levels, and ecological interactions.

Autotrophs

Organisms that can produce their own food using abiotic energy sources, forming the base of the food web.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that obtain chemical energy and organic carbon by eating autotrophs or other heterotrophs.

Herbivores

Primary consumers that eat autotrophs.

Carnivores

Consumers that eat other consumers.

Detritivores

Organisms that eat dead organic matter.

Omnivores

Consumers that eat multiple other trophic levels.

Trophic Cascade

Powerful indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems, often involving the removal of a top predator.

Keystone Species

A species whose impact on its community is disproportionately strong relative to its abundance.

External Subsidies

Nutrients and energy that food webs receive from outside sources.

Foundation Species

Species that create the biogenic structure of a habitat, having strong impacts on their communities.

Dominant Species

Species that have a strong impact on their communities due to high abundance or biomass.

Interaction Strengths

The impacts of one species on another or on ecological processes, which can vary greatly.