Energy and Ecosystems

Producer

An organism, such as a plant or green alga, that makes its own food using energy from sunlight, air, and water.

Consumer

An organism that gets its energy and nutrients by eating other living things.

Decomposer

An organism, such as a fungus or bacterium, that breaks down dead plant and animal matter and recycles nutrients back into the soil.

The Sun

The primary source of energy that powers nearly all food webs and life on Earth.

Food Chain

A diagram that shows a single, direct pathway of energy moving from one organism to another.

Food Web

A diagram of interconnected feeding relationships that shows many overlapping paths of energy moving through an ecosystem.

Herbivore

An animal that obtains its energy by eating only plants.

Carnivore

An animal that obtains its energy by eating other animals.

Plant Growth Materials

Air and water, which supply almost all the matter and building blocks that plants need to grow and gain weight.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with nonliving things like air, water, and soil.