definitions

Biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi

refers to the total mass of living plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria in a given area.

Consumer is a category that belongs within the food chain of an ecosystem. It refers predominantly to animals. Consumers are unable to make their own energy, and instead rely on the consumption and digestion of producers or other consumers, or both, to survive.

A decomposer is an organism that breaks down organic material, such as the remains of dead animals or plants. Decomposers make essential nutrients available to plants and other organisms in the ecosystem.

Decomposition is the process of breaking down complex organic substances or dead organisms into simpler substances or elements by exposure to heat, light, or chemical or biological activity

the flow of energy from an ecosystem to an organism and from

Food chains are models that show that flow of energy from plant to animal and from animal to animal. Each step is called a trophic level. the arrows represent ‘giving energy to..’

food pyramids show the loss of energy from one trophic level to the next.

a level in a food chain, food web or food pyramid occupied by a groups of organisms that have a similar feeding pattern

A food web is a diagram that shows the interactions between the species in a community that involve the transfer of energy through consumption. It is a combination of food chains that integrate to form a network. It depicts the various methods of feeding, such as herbivory, carnivory, scavenging, and parasitism. the arrows in a food web represent the relationships throughout the web.

Photosynthesis is a process used by plants, algae, and some bacteria to convert sunlight into energy. The process involves the chemical conversion of carbon dioxide and water into food (sugars) and oxygen. Chlorophyll, a pigment that gives plants their green colour, is often used in the process. The process is essential for almost all life on earth.

A primary consumer is an organism that feeds on primary producers. Organisms of this type make up the second trophic level and are consumed or predated by secondary consumers, tertiary consumers or apex predators. Primary consumers are herbivores, or organisms that only eat plants.

A producer is an autotrophic organism capable of producing complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules through the process of photosynthesis (using light energy) or through chemosynthesis (using chemical energy).

A secondary consumer is an organism that eats primary consumers for energy. Secondary consumers can be carnivores or omnivores. They occupy the second position on the food chain. They are also preyed upon by tertiary consumers, which are organisms that eat secondary consumers.

A tertiary consumer is an animal that obtains its nutrition by eating primary consumers and secondary consumers. Usually tertiary consumers are carnivorous predators, although they may also be omnivores, which are animals that feed on both meat and plant material.