chapter 5 Flashcards
photosynthesis
a process by which plants use water, carbon dioxide and sunlight to produce sugars (food)
producer
and organism that makes it’s own food from non- living materials
consumer
an organism that eats other living things for energy
herbivore
an organism that eats plants only
carnivore
an organism that eats other animals only
scavenger
an organism that eats already dead animals
omnivore
an organism that eats both plants and animals
detrivore
an organism that feeds on both large parts of decaying plant and animal matter and on waste matter
decomposer
an organism that consumes/ breaks down dead organisms or waste matter into to simple substances
food chain
a sequence that shows how energy and nutrients are transferred from one organism to another in an ecosystem
food web
a model that shows how food chains in an ecosystem are connected
pyramid of numbers
a model that shows the number of individuals at each level of a food web
closed system
a system in which the amount of matter remains constant overtime
cycle
a pattern in nature that repeats over time
sustainable
something that can be maintained and used indetintely
