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Vocab 18.3
Terms for chapter 18 section 3
Question | Answer |
---|---|
producer | an organism that can make organic molecules from inorganic molecules; a photosynthetic or chemosynthetic autotroph that serves as the food source in an ecosystem |
chemosythesis | the production of carbohydrates through the use of energy from inorganic molecules instead of light |
gross primary productivity | the rate at which organic matter is assimilated by plants and other producers during a period of time over a certain area |
biomass | any organic material that has been produced in an ecosystem |
net primary productivity | the rate at which biomass accumulates in an ecosystem |
consumer | an organism that eats other organisms or organic matter instead of producing its own nutrients or obtaining nutrients from inorganic sources |
herbivore | an organism that eats only plants |
carnivore | an organism that eats animals |
omnivore | an organism that eats a variety of other organisms, including plants and animals |
detritivore | a consumer that feeds on dead organisms or on the other parts or wastes of other organisms |
decomposer | an organism that feeds by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms; examples include bacteria and fungi |
trophic level | an organism's relative porition in a sequence of energy transfers in a food chain or food pyramid, examples include prodcers and primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers |
food chain | the pathway of eergy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms |
food web | a diagram that shows the feeding relationship among organisms in an ecosystem |