Ecosystems and Biomes - Ch 2 Vocab

producer

an organism that can make its own food

consumer

an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

herbivore

a consumer that eats only plants

carnivore

a consumer that eats only animals

omnivore

a consumer that eats both plants and animals

scavenger

a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms

decomposer

an organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms

food chain

a series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy

food web

the pattern of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem

energy pyramid

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

biome

a group of land ecosystems with similar climates and organisms

canopy

a leafy roof formed by tall trees in a forest

understory

a layer of shorter plants that grow in the shade of a forest canopy

desert

an area that receives less than 25 centimeters of precipitation per year

grassland

an area populated by grasses and other nonwoody plants; most get 25 to 75 centimeters of rain per year

savanna

a grassland close to the equator that receives as much as 120 centimeters of rain per year

deciduous tree

a tree that sheds its leaves and grows new ones each year

coniferous tree

a tree that produces its seeds in cones and that has needle-shaped leaves

tundra

a polar climate region, with short, cool summers and bitterly cold winters

permafrost

soil that is frozen all year