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| autotroph is an organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer |
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| A producer is an organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds; also called an autotroph |
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| photosynthesis is the process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches |
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| chemosynthesis is the process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates |
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| heterotroph are organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer |
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| A consumer is an organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterotroph |
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| herbivores are organisms that obtains energy by eating only plants |
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| carnivores are organisms that obtains energy by eating animals |
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| omnivores are organisms that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals |
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| detritivores are organisms that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter |
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| decomposers are an organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter |
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| The food chain is a series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten |
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| food webs are a network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
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| trophic levels are step in a food chain or food web |
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| ecological pyramids are a diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web |
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| A biomass is the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level |
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