Primary productivity- the rate at which producers make energy (from sunlight) Producers/Autotrophs – organisms that make their own food by capturing sunlight or using chemicals Consumers/Heterotrophs- organisms that consume other organisms for food. Herbivore- organism that feeds on only plants Carnivore- organism that feeds on meat Omnivore- organism that eats both plants + animals

Detritivores- organisms that obtain their energy from dead matter or waste Decomposer- organisms that breaks down organisms and releases nutrients back into the environment Trophic levels- an assigned level in a food chain based on how an organism gets energy Food chain- the path of energy through the trophic levels Food web- multiple connected food chains showing the complex interactions within an ecosystem

Ten-percent-law: only 10% of energy is passed on from trophic level to trophic level Energy pyramid- a graphical model of energy flow in a community Biomass- the total mass of organisms found within a trophic level