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18-3 energy transfer
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| producer | autotrophs that can use energy to make their own food. |
| chemosynthesis | process where energy is stored in inorganic molecules and released by autotrophic bacteria to produce carbohydrates. |
| gross primary productivity | rate at which producers in an ecosystem capture the energy of sunlight by producing organic compounds. |
| biomass | organic material that has been produced in an ecosystem. |
| net primary productivity | rate at which biomass accumulates. |
| consumer | heterotrophs |
| herbivore | eat producers. |
| carnivore | eat other consumers. |
| omnivore | eat producers and consumers |
| detritivore | consumers that feed on the "garbage" (detritus)of an ecosystem. |
| decomposer | detritivores that cause decay by breaking down complex molecules into simpler molecules. |
| trophic level | indicates the organism's position in a sequence of energy transfers. |
| food chain | single pathway of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem that results in energy transfer. |
| food web | interrelated food chains in an ecosystem. |