Honors Bio Unit 2

food chain

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

autotroph

An organism that produces its own food

cellular respiration

The process in which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy (ATP), carbon dioxide, and water.

reactant

a substance that takes part in and undergoes change during a reaction

product

A substance produced in a chemical reaction

glucose

A simple sugar that is an important energy source in living organisms and is a product of photosynthesis.

oxygen

A gas that is essential for cellular respiration and is produced as a product of photosynthesis.

carbon dioxide

A gas that is a reactant in photosynthesis and a product of cellular respiration.

light energy

The energy emitted by the sun that is captured by plants during photosynthesis

chemical energy

The energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds, which is released during cellular respiration.

food web

A complex network of interconnected food chains that illustrates how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem.

trophic level

Each step in a food chain or food web, representing the position of an organism in relation to the flow of energy and nutrients.

energy pyramid

A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web

Law of Conservation of Energy

A principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

carbon cycle

The biogeochemical cycle through which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

water cycle

The continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere, involving processes such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and infiltration.

heterotroph

An organism that cannot produce its own food and instead obtains its nutrients by consuming other organisms.

producer

An organism, typically a plant or algae, that produces sugar from carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

consumer

An organism that feeds on other organisms or organic matter because it cannot produce its own food.

herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

omnivore

A consumer that eats both plants and animals

decomposer

An organism, such as bacteria or fungi, that breaks down dead organic material, returning nutrients to the ecosystem.

primary succession

The process of ecological change that occurs in an area where no soil exists, such as after a volcanic eruption.

secondary succession

The process of ecological change that occurs in an area where a disturbance has destroyed an existing ecosystem but soil and some organisms still remain.

photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

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