Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Vocabulary flashcards for key terms in Matter and Energy in Ecosystems.

photosynthesis

a series of chemical reactions that convert light energy, water, and carbon dioxide into the food-energy molecule glucose and give off oxygen.

ecosystem

all the living things and nonliving things in a given area.

cellular respiration

a series of chemical reactions that convert the energy in food molecules into a usable form of energy called ATP.

glycolysis

a process by which glucose, a sugar, is broken down into smaller molecules.

producer

an organism that uses an outside energy source, such as the Sun, and produces its own food.

consumer

an organism that cannot make its own food and gets energy by eating other organisms.

detritivore

an organism that consumes the bodies of dead organisms and wastes produced by living organisms.

food chain

a model that shows how energy flows in an ecosystem through feeding relationships.

food web

a model of energy transfer that can show how the food chains in a community are interconnected.

energy pyramid

a model that shows the amount of energy available in each link of a food chain.

evaporation

the process of a liquid changing to a gas at the surface of the liquid.

condensation

the process by which a gas changes to a liquid.

precipitation

water, in liquid or solid form, that falls from the atmosphere.

nitrogen fixation

the process that changes atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen compounds that are usable by living things.