Ecosystems Vocab

3. the initial, oxygen-independent (anaerobic) stage of cellular respiration that breaks down one 6-carbon glucose molecule
5. a heterotrophic organism that cannot produce its own food and must obtain energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms
7. an insoluble solid that forms and separates from a liquid solution, usually due to chemical reactions, changes in pH, or temperature shifts
10. heterotrophic organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus—decomposing plant/animal parts and fecal matter
11. a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another
12. a dynamic, functional unit comprising a community of living organisms
13. the phase transition of water from liquid to vapor at a surface

1. biological or chemical process of converting inert atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia
2. the metabolic process in living organisms by which oxygen is combined with carbon in a cell to form carbon dioxide and generate energy.
4. two smaller molecules join together to form a larger molecule, releasing a smaller molecule like water in the process.
6. an organism that creates its own food by converting inorganic materials into organic energy through photosynthesis
8. a complex, interconnected network of multiple food chains that illustrates the feeding relationships and energy flow among organisms within an ecosystem
9. the essential biological process by which plants, algae, and certain bacteria convert light energy (sunlight) into chemical energy (glucose)
12. a graphical model illustrating the flow of energy through different trophic levels in an ecosystem, with producers at the base and top predators at the apex