Water & Ecology Vocab

Phytoplankton

Small photosynthetic organisms suspended in ocean waters

Food Chain

linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another

Producers

the food chain’s base, or foundation, consists of photosynthetic organisms (plants or phytoplankton)

Primary consumers

The organisms that consume the producers are herbivores

Secondary consumers

usually carnivores that eat the primary consumers

Tertiary consumers

carnivores that eat other carnivores

Food web

concept that accounts for the multiple trophic (feeding) interactions between each species

Decomposers

which break down dead and decaying organisms

Zooplankton

the base of the food chain for most of the world’s fisheries

Algal bloom

When there is a large input of nitrogen and phosphorus, algae growth skyrockets, resulting in a large accumulation of algae