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

2. Energy
Ability to do work.

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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.

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

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

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

9. 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.

10. Food Chain

11. Food Web

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

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