Question | Answer |
food chain | series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating or being eaten. |
phytoplankton | mixture of floating algae |
food web | network of complex interactions formed by feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
zooplankton | small free floating animals that form part of plankton |
trophic level | each step in a food chain or food web |
ecological pyramid | an illustration of the reduction in energy as you move through each feeding (trophic) level in an ecosystem. |
biomass | is fuel that is developed from organic materials, a renewable and sustainable source of energy used to create electricity or other forms of power. |
biogeochemical cycle | a biogeochemical cycle or substance turnover or cycling of substances is a pathway by which a chemical substance moves through both biotic (biosphere) and abiotic (lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere) compartments of Earth. |
nutrient | anything that nourishes a living being. |
nitrogen fixation | some bacteria can convert N2 into ammonia by the process termed nitrogen fixation; these bacteria are either free-living or form symbiotic associations with plants or other organisms |
denitrification | a microbially facilitated process of nitrate reduction (performed by a large group of heterotrophic facultative anaerobic bacteria) that may ultimately produce molecular nitrogen (N2) through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products |
limting nutrient | the plant's growth is often directly related to the amount of whichever limiting nutrient (nitrogen or phosphorus) that it is are able to get. Generally speaking, phosphorus is a limiting nutrient in freshwater systems and nitrogen is a limiting nutrient |
autotroph | any organism capable of self-nourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients |
primary producer | any green plant or any of various microorganisms that can convert light energy or chemical energy into organic matter. |
photosynthesis | the complex process by which carbon dioxide, water, and certain inorganic salts are converted into carbohydrates |
chemosynthisis | the synthesis of organic compounds within an organism, with chemical reactions providing the energy source. |
heterotroph | an organism requiring organic compounds for its principal source of food. |
consumer | a person or thing that consumes. |
carnivor | an animal that eats flesh. |
herbivore | plant eating animal |
scavenger | an animal or other organism that feeds on dead organic matter. |
omniver | eats a variety of foods |
decomposer | an organism, usually a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down the cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances. |
detrivore | an organism that uses organic waste as a food source, as certain insects. |