Chapter 3

Organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called

Process in which elements

Total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Part of Earth in which life exists including land

Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

Organism that obtains energy by eating animals

Process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates

Assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

Organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterotroph

Organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter

Process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas

Organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

Illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic levels in a given food chain or food web

Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

All the organisms that live in a place

Series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem

Organism that obtains energy by eating only plants

Organism that obtains food by consuming other living things; also called a consumer

Single essential nutrient that limits productivity in an ecosystem

Process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use

Chemical substance that an organism needs to sustain life

Organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals

Process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and w

Photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean

Group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

First producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms

Animal that consumes the carcasses of other animals

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

Each step in a food chain or food web

Small free-floating animals that form part of plankton