Key Terms in Ecology and Food Chains

Autotrophs

Organisms that produce their own food using sunlight (photosynthesis) or chemicals (chemosynthesis), such as plants and algae.

Carnivores

Animals that eat other animals, like lions and hawks.

Combustion

The process of burning substances, often releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Community

A group of different species living and interacting in the same environment.

Consumers

Organisms that rely on other organisms for food and energy.

Decomposers

Organisms like fungi and bacteria that break down dead material and recycle nutrients into the ecosystem.

Detritivores

Organisms that feed on dead organic matter, such as earthworms and crabs.

Ecosystem

A system that includes all living organisms (biotic factors) and their physical environment (abiotic factors) in a particular area.

Global warming

The increase in Earth's average temperature due to human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels.

Greenhouse gases

Gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.

Herbivores

Animals that eat only plants, such as deer and rabbits.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms for energy.

Omnivores

Animals that eat both plants and animals, such as bears and humans.

Peat

A dense, organic material formed from decomposed plant matter in wetlands, which can be used as fuel.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.

Primary consumer

Herbivores that eat producers (plants), like rabbits and grasshoppers.

Producers

Organisms that create their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, forming the base of the food chain.

Quaternary consumer

A predator at the top of the food chain that eats tertiary consumers, like an orca or an eagle.

Saprotrophs

Organisms, like fungi, that absorb nutrients from decaying organic matter.

Scavengers

Animals that feed on dead organisms, such as vultures and hyenas.

Secondary consumer

A carnivore or omnivore that eats primary consumers, like a fox eating a rabbit.

Species

A group of organisms capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring.

Tertiary consumer

A predator that eats secondary consumers, such as a wolf eating a fox.

Trophic level

A position in the food chain based on an organism's feeding relationships, from producers to top predators.