Science Vocab TEST 1 Flashcards
Autotrophs
organisms that produce food for themselves and other organisms.
Photoautotrophs
organisms that use energy from sunlight to make food by photosynthesis.
Chemoautotrophs
use energy from chemical compounds to make food by chemosynthesis.
Herbivores
Organisms that consume producers, such as plants or algae.
Carnivores
Organisms that consume meat, such as beef
Omnivores
Organisms that consume meat and plants
Decomposers
Organisms that break down the remains and other wastes and release simple inorganic molecules back to the environment.
Scavengers
Organisms that consume the dead flesh off animals
Detrivores
Organisms that consume detritus—the dead leaves, animal feces, and other organic debris that collects on the soil or at the bottom of a body of water.
Saphratrophs
the final step in decomposition. They feed on any remaining organic matter that is left after other decomposers do their work.
Food Chain
a single pathway by which energy and matter flow through an ecosystem.
Food Web
Multiple Pathways by which energy and matter flow through an ecosystem.
Trophic Levels
The feeding positions in a food chain or web
Biomass
the total mass of organisms at a trophic level.
Predetation
a relationship in which members of one species (the predator) consume members of another species (the prey).
