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drs-ecol-terms 2
Food Chain Vocabulary
| Term | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Food Chain | a series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc. | |
| Producer | An autotrophic organism that serves as a source of food for other organisms in a food chain. | |
| Primary Consumer | an animal that feeds on plants; a herbivore. | |
| Secondary Consumer | a carnivore that feeds only upon herbivores. | |
| Tertiary Consumer | a carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers. | |
| Quaternary Consumer | ||
| Autotrophs | any organism capable of self-nourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients and using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as a source of energy, as most plants and certain bacteria and protists. | |
| Heterotrophs | an organism requiring organic compounds for its principal source of food. | |
| Herbivores | An animal that feeds mainly or only on plants. | |
| Carnivores | an animal that eats flesh. | |
| Omnivores | An organism that eats both plants and animals. |