Food chain
A diagram that shows how each living thing gets food, and how nutrients and energy are passed from organism to organism. This process begins with the sun
Food web
The pattern of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
Producer
An organism that can make their own food
Consumer
An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down organic matter (waste and dead organisms) and returns nutrients to the soil
Scavenger
An organism that obtains energy by eating dead animal and plant material
Tertiary consumer
An organism at the fourth trophic level that eats the secondary consumers
Secondary consumer
An organism at the third trophic level that eats the primary consumers making them carnivores or omnivores
Primary Consumer
An organism at the second trophic level that eats the producers, making them herbivores or omnivores
Omnivore
An organism eats both plants and animals
Carnivore
An organism that eats only animals
Herbivore
An organism that eats only plants
Energy pyramid
A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web
Photosynthesis
A process where organisms use a chloroplast to turn sunlight, CO?, and H?O into sugar