Ecosystems

5. Animal that consumes carcasses of dead animals
7. Organism that breaks down dead & decaying plants & animals, producing detritus
9. A model showing amount of energy or material in each trophic food chain or food web level
11. Each step in a food chain or food web
12. Also called primary producer. It captures energy from nonliving sources and convert it to forms living cells can use
13. A series of organisms in which energy is transferred from one to another
17. Bacterial process converting soil nitrogen compounds into nitrogen that escapes into the atmosphere
18. Elements organisms need to sustain life
21. Also called heterotroph. It acquires energy from other organisms by eating them
22. Chemical energy powers production of carbohydrates (food) by these organisms without energy from the sun

1. Any nutrient whose supply limits productivity
2. Organism that breaks down detritus & decomposers
3. Also called consumer. It acquires energy from other organisms by eating them
4. Grazing animal that only eat plants
6. Coal,oil, and natural gas fuels
8. Bacterial process converting soil nitrogen into nitrogen compounds plants can use
10. Aquatic primary producers, commonly algae, eaten by zooplankton
14. Also called autotroph. It captures & stores energy from nonliving sources and convert it to forms living cells can use
15. Animal that kills then eat other animals and doesn't eat plants(Figure 33-2)
16. Total amount of living tissue within a trophic level
19. A network of feeding interactions between multiple food chains
20. Animal, like humans, that eats plants & animals