Ch 5 key terms Flashcards
Photosynthesis
process in which plants, algae, and some bacteria capture light energy from the sun and use it to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen.
Producer
organism that makes its own food.
consumer
organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms
Decomposers
Consumers that get their food by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms
cellular respiration
The process of breaking down carbohydrates to yield energy
Food chain
the path in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another organism.
Food web
includes more organisms and shows the feeding relationships between organisms that are possible in a ecosystem.
Trophic level
Each step through which energy is transferred in a food chain
Carbon cycle
a process by which carbon is cycled between the atmosphere, land, water, and organisms.
Nitrogen fixing bacteria
Bacteria that converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia
nitrogen cycle
A process in which nitrogen circulates among the air , soil, plants, and animals in an ecosystem.
Phosphorus cycle
is the movement of phosphorus from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment.
Ecological succession
A gradual process of change and replacement in a community.
Primary succession
Succession that begins in an area that previously did not support life
Secondary succession
The process by which one community replaces another community that has been partially or totally destroyed
