| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| matter | anything that has mass and takes up space |
| energy | the ability to do work |
| photosynthesis | process by which plants and other autotrophs capture and use light energy to make food from carbon dioxide and water |
| autotroph | an organism that is able to capture energy from the sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food |
| heterotroph | an organism that cannot make its own food and gets its energy by consuming other living things |
| chlorophyll | green photosynthetic pigment found in the chloroplasts of plants, algae, and some bacteria |
| glucose | the sugar (food) that is made during photosynthesis |
| stomata | small openings in leaves that allow water to evaporate and gases to be exchanged |
| carbon cycle | the process by which oxygen is recycle in ecosystems |
| water cycle | the continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back |
| producer | an organism that can make its own food |
| consumer | an organism obtains energy by feeding on other organisms |
| decomposer | an organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms |
| scavenger | a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms |
| food chain | a series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy |
| food web | the many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem |
| energy pyramid | a diagram that shows how much energy moves from one energy level to another |
