Ch. 14 Vocabulary

Front

An organism that makes its own food using sunlight or chemical energy (e.g., plants, algae).

Back

Producer

Front

An organism that eats other organisms for energy (e.g., herbivores, carnivores, omnivores).

Back

Consumer

Front

An organism that breaks down dead material and recycles nutrients back into the ecosystem (e.g., fungi, bacteria).

Back

Decomposer

Front

A simple model that shows how energy moves from one organism to another in a linear sequence.

Back

Food chain

Front

A more complex diagram showing multiple food chains and how organisms in an ecosystem are interconnected.

Back

Food web

Front

A step in a food chain or energy pyramid that represents an organism’s position in the flow of energy.

Back

Trophic level

Front

A diagram that shows the amount of energy available at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Back

Energy pyramid

Front

An organism that hunts and eats other organisms (prey) for food.

Back

Predator

Front

An organism that is hunted and eaten by a predator.

Back

Prey

Front

A consumer that eats only plants.

Back

Herbivore