CH 4 Vocab

2. level - each step in a food chain or food web
4. - organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply
6. - organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and us it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds
9. producer - first producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used in other organisms
11. fixation - process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds
12. - organism that obtains food by consuming other living things
14. pyramid - illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level
15. - the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
17. - process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas

1. - process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert co2 and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starch
3. - process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates
5. - chemical substance that an organism needs to sustain life
7. chain - a series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
8. - photosynthesis algae
10. - small pieces of dead or decaying plants or animal remains
13. web - network of complex interactions formed by feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem
16. cycle - 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