flow of energy Flashcards
Ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Producer
an organism that produces organic compounds from simple substances such as water and carbon dioxide
Consumer
an organism that derives the organic compounds and energy it needs from the consumption of other organisms;
Decomposer
an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material
Food Chain
a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.
Food Web
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
Photosynthesis
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water
Cellular Respiration
the process by which organisms combine oxygen with foodstuff molecules, diverting the chemical energy in these substances into life-sustaining activities and discarding, as waste products, carbon dioxide and water.