Vocabulary of Instruction: 7th Grade Unit 2: Ecosystems Lesson 1: Energy Flow Vocabulary of Instruction:

Energy Ability to do work.

Producers Plants are called producers because they are able to use light energy from the Sun to produce food (sugar) from carbon dioxide and water.

Consumers Animals cannot make their own food so they must eat plants and/or other animals. There are three groups of consumers. Primary Consumers Secondary Consumers Tertiary Consumers

Decomposers Bacteria and fungi which feed on decaying matter. Decomposers speed up the decaying process that releases mineral salts back into the food chain for absorption by plants as nutrients.

Omnivores Animals and people who eat BOTH animals and plants are called omnivores.

Carnivore Are animals that eat other animals. carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers. carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers

Herbivore An animal that feeds on plants. Also known as (or primary consumers).

Food Chain, Food Web, and/or Food Networks Describes the feeding relationships between species in an ecological community. They graphically represent the transfer of material and energy from one species to another within an ecosystem.

Food Chain

Food Web

Abiotic Inanimate, inorganic, not living. Examples: Water Soil Sunlight Rocks Wind/Air

Biotic Relating to, produced by, or caused by living organisms. Examples: Rabbit Wolf Bacteria Plants/Grass Mushroom/ Fungi