Week 9 Vocab

The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce carbohydrates and oxygen.

An organism that can make organic molecules from inorganic molecules; a photosynthetic or chemosynthetic autotroph that serves as the basic food source in an ecosystem.

An organism that eats other organisms or organic matter instead of producing its own nutrients or obtaining nutrients from inorganic sources.

An organism that feeds by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms; examples include bacteria and fungi.

The process by which cells produce energy from carbohydrates; atmospheric oxygen combines with glucose to form water and carbon dioxide.

The pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms.

A diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.

One of the steps in a food chain or food pyramid; examples include producers and primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers.

The movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back.

Bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia.

The process in which nitrogen circulates among the air, soil, water, plants, and animals in an ecosystem.

The cyclic movement of phosphorus in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment.

An animal that has a backbone; includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

An animal that does not have a backbone.

Any form of water that falls to the Earth’s surface from the clouds; includes rain, snow, sleet, and hail.