Question | Answer |
autotroph | organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer |
heterotroph | organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer |
producer | organism that can capture energy from sunlight and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds; also called an autotroph |
consumer | organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called heterotroph |
chlorophyll | principal pigment of plants and other photosynthetic organisms; captures light energy |
thylakoid | saclike photosynthetic membrane found in chloroplasts |
stroma | region outside the thylakoid membranes in chloroplasts |
glycolysis | first step in releasing the energy of glucose, in which a molecule of glucose is broken into two molecules of pyruvic acid |
fermentation | process by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen |
anaerobic | process that does not require oxygen |
aerobic | process that requires oxygen |
food chain | series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten |
food web | network of complex interactions formed by feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
trophic level | step in a food chain or food web |
ecological pyramid | diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web |
biomass | total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level |
nitrogen fixation | process of converting nitrogen gas to ammonia |
denitrification | conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas |