02.0C BIO Energy Flow in Ecosystems (BASIC VOCAB - SIMPLE) (PART C)

Autotrophs

Organisms that are able to make their own food "primary producer". Examples include plants on land and autrophic bacteria and algae in water.

Producer

An organism that makes its own food.

Heterotrophs

Another name for consumers. Means "other feeder". Organisms that rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients.

Consumers

Organisms that rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients.

Herbivore

Consumers that obtain energy by only eating producers like plants, algae, and bacteria. Examples include rabbits, deer, and zooplankton. Examples include cows, rabbits, deer, and zooplankton.

Carnivore

Consumers that obtain energy by eating animals. Examples include dogs, wolves, and cougars.

Scavengers

Consumers that obtain energy by consuming the carcasses of other animals that have been killed by predators or have died of other causes. Examples include vultures, hyenas, and raccoons.

Omnivores

Consumers that obtain energy by eating both plants and animals. Examples include humans, bears, and owls.

Pedator

Organism that preys upon or eats another organism.

Prey

An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism. For example the the fox (the predator) is feeding on the squirrel (the prey).

Detritivores

Consumers that feed on bits of plant and animal remains and other dead organic matter called detritus. Examples include mites, earthworms, snails, crabs, and insects.

Abiotic Factors

The nonliving parts of an organism's environment. Examples include the wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, rocks, soil, salinity (salt), and acidity (pH).

Biotic Factors

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment. Examples include bacteria, plants, animals, and fungi.

Decomposer

Consumers that chemically break down dead or decaying matter. Examples include fungi, bacteria, and insects. Examples include fungi and bacteria.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Food Chain

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

Food Web

shows all possible feeding relationships in a community at each trophic level.

Trophic Level

A feeding level within a food chain or food web which includes producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, etc.