Understanding Ecosystems: Energy Flow, Food Webs, and Biogeochemical Cycles

Vocabulary flashcards covering energy flow, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, food webs, trophic levels, ecological pyramids, and biogeochemical cycles in ecosystems.

Radiant energy

Energy that travels through empty space.

Light energy

Visible forms of radiant energy.

Thermal energy

The form of energy transferred during heating or cooling.

Photosynthesis

The process in which the Sun's energy is converted into chemical energy.

Producer

An organism that makes its own energy-rich food compounds using the Sun's energy.

Chlorophyll

A green chemical found in plants and algae that captures light energy for photosynthesis.

Cellular respiration

The process by which sugar and oxygen are converted into carbon dioxide and water, to provide energy for the cell.

Consumer

An organism that obtains its energy from consuming other organisms.

Ecological niche

The function a species serves in its ecosystem, including what it eats, what eats it, and how it behaves.

Herbivore

An animal that eats plants or other producers.

Carnivore

An animal that eats other animals.

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals.

Scavenger

An animal that feeds on the remains of another organism.

Food chain

A sequence of organisms, each feeding on the next, showing how energy is transferred from one organism to another.

Trophic level

The level of an organism in an ecosystem depending on its feeding position along a food chain.

Food web

A representation of the feeding relationships within a community.

Ecological pyramid

A representation of energy, numbers, or biomass relationships in ecosystems.

Nitrogen cycle

The series of processes in which nitrogen compounds are moved through the biotic and abiotic environment.

Nitrogen fixation

The process in which certain micro-organisms convert nitrogen gas into a variety of nitrogen-containing compounds including nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia.

Denitrifying bacteria

Soil micro-organisms that convert nitrogen-rich compounds back into nitrogen gas which then re-enters the atmosphere.