| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Energy Pyramid | a diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web |
| Trophic Levels | The levels of an energy pyramid through which energy flows from producers to primary consumers, secondary consumers and so on. |
| Autotroph | An organism that makes its own food (a producer) |
| Omnivore | organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals |
| Detrivore | a scavenger, such as an earthworm, that feeds on dead plant and animal matter |
| Biomass | organic matter that can be a source of energy in an ecosystem. |
| Photosynthesis | process by which plants use the sun's energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars |
| Reactants of Photosynthesis | CO2 & H2O |
| Products of Photosynthesis | C6H12O6 (glucose) & O2 (oxygen) |
| Calories | Units of heat that measure the energy used by the body and the energy that foods supply to the body |
| Items that lack calories | Water, sleep, vitamins, minerals |
| Items that have calories | Fats, Carbohydrates, Proteins |
| Uses for food | Energy, nutrients, building body tissue. |
| 10% | The amount of biomass energy that transfers up to the next trophic level in an ecosystem. |
| 90% | The amount of biomass energy lost beween trophic levels in an ecosystem. |
| Decomposers | Organisms that break down wastes and dead organisms and return raw materials to the environment |
| Herbivores | An organism that eats only plants. |
| Carnivores | Organisms that eat other animals for energy |
| Detritus | Dead organic matter or waste products |
| Heterotrophs | organisms that cannot make their own food |
