Ecological Roles and Energy Acquisition Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining key terms related to organisms, food sources, and ecological roles.

Autotroph

An organism that produces its own food using sunlight or inorganic substances.

Producer / Primary Producer

An organism that makes food and forms the base of most ecosystems.

Heterotroph

An organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms.

Consumer

Another name for a heterotroph.

Herbivore

An organism that eats plants.

Carnivore

An organism that eats other animals.

Omnivore

An organism that eats both plants and animals.

Detritivore

An organism that eats fragments of dead organisms.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to the environment.