Ecology Part One

5. the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including land, water, and atmosphere
8. an organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer
11. organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
12. ecological pyramid which shows the relative amount of energy in each trophic level in an ecosystem
14. organism that obtains energy by consuming plant and animal remains and other dead matter
15. group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
18. series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transger energy by eating and being eaten
19. organism that obtains energy by consuming plants and animals
20. process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another

1. network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in a ecosystem
2. an ecological pyramid which shows the relative amount of living tissue at each trophic level in an ecosystem
3. process used by some bacteria to convert chemical energy to energy stored in carbohydrates
4. organism that obtains energy by consuming plants
6. organism that obtains energy by consuming other animals
7. group of different populations that live in the same area
9. position an organism occupies in a food chain or food web (primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer)
10. an organism that obtains energy from the food it consumes; also called a consumer
13. group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area
16. the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
17. process used by plants and some other organisms to convert light energy, water, and carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbohydrates