Ecosystems Flashcards
Energy pyramid
a model that shows the available amount of energy in each trophic layer in an ecosystem
Food web
a model that shows many different feeding relationships among living things
Decomposer
organisms which carry out the process of decomposition by breaking down dead or decaying organisms
Food Chain
a model that shows one set of feeding relationships among living things
Coniferous
a type of plant with needle-like leaves that uses cones to reproduce
Consumer
an organism that eats other living things to get energy; an organism that does not produce its own food (related word: consume)
Biome
a major ecological community such as grassland, tropical rain forest, or desert
Deciduous
a forest containing trees that lose their leaves each year
Ecology
the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Cycle
a process that repeats
Nitrogen Cycle
a process in which nitrogen in the atmosphere enters the soil and becomes part of living organisms then eventually returns to the atmosphere
Biotic factors
all of the living parts of an ecosystem
Water Cycle
the continual movement of water between the land, ocean, and the air
Abiotic Factor
all of the nonliving parts of an ecosystem
Producer
an organism that makes its own food; an organism that does not consume other plants or animals
