bio vocab terms (unit 1)

bio vocab terms

17 cards·by leftypride

termsvocabunitbiotest

what is an ecosystem?

all organisms in a given location or area

what is the meaning of "inanimate"?

non-living

what is a producer?

an organism that makes its own food

what is an autotroph?

a producer (makes its own food)

what is photosynthesis?

the process of using sunlight to trigger chemical reactions which turn CO2 into food

what is a consumer?

an organism that must eat other organisms for food

what is a heterotroph?

a consumer (needs to eat other organisms)

what is an herbivore?

an organism which eats only plants

what is a carnivore?

an organism which eats only meat

what is an omnivore?

an organism which eats anything

what is a decomposer?

an organism which breaks down organic matter (detritus) into simpler forms

what is a food chain?

a sequence of what eats what

what is a food web?

a complex system of food chains

what is a trophic level?

a step of a food web

what is an energy pyramid?

a chart which shows how energy is passed up the food chain

what is a nutrient?

any chemical substance necessary for life

what is succession?

a series of predictable changes in an ecosystem