ecology biology notecards

Terms	Definitions
Carnivore	A consumer that kills and eats other animals.
Consumer	An organism that relies on other organisms for energy.
Herbivore	An organism that obtains energy by feeding on plant parts.
Heterotroph	A consumer that ingests other organisms for energy.
Omnivore	An animal that eats plants and animals.
Food Web	Network of feeding relationships composed of multiple food chains.
Food Chain	Series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.
Phytoplankton	Aquatic primary producers composed of a mixture of floating algae.
Zooplankton	Diverse group of small, swimming animals that feed on marine algae.
Decomposer	An organism that feeds by chemically breaking down other organisims.
Chemosynthesis	Process by which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates.
Scavenger	Animals that consume the carcasses of other animals that have been killed by predators or died of natural causes.
Primary producer	Autotrophs or the first producers of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisims.
Photosynthesis	Process that uses light energy to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbohydrates.
Autotroph	An organism that uses energy from the sun or chemicals and converts it into forms that living cells can use; also known as an organism that produces its own food.
Detritivore	An organism that feeds on detritus, or small pieces of dead and decaying plants and animals.

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