Ecology Part 2: Energy Vocabulary for Academic Biology

autotroph

an organism that makes its own food- a producer

heterotroph

organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer

producer

An organism that can make its own food; also called an autotroph

consumer

organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a heterotroph

primary consumer

an animal that feeds on plants; a herbivore

secondary consumer

a carnivore that feeds only upon herbivores

tertiary consumer

a carnivore at the 4th trophic level in a food chain that eat secondary consumers

herbivore

organism that obtains energy by eating only plants

omnivore

organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals

carnivore

organism that obtains energy by eating animals

detritivore

organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

decomposer

organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter

trophic level

Each step in a food chain or food web

biomass

total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

biomagnification

the process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain

Bioaccumulation

The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism.

Persistent pollutants

a pollutant that remains in the environment for many years in an unchanged condition

food web

A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains

food chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

rule of 10%

when energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, only ten percent of the energy will be passed on

organism

An individual living thing that can react to stimuli, reproduce, grow, and maintain homeostasis

population

A group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time

community

all of the living things in an ecosystem

ecosytem

all biotic and abiotic factors in an area

biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Biosphere

part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere

Biotic

living

Abiotic

Non-living