1. Energy Flow in Ecosystems
8th grade science
Spring 2014

2. Autotroph
Organism that captures energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food (photosynthesis); also called a producer

3. Heterotroph
Organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer

4. Herbivore
Organism that obtains energy by eating only plants

5. Omnivore
Organism that obtains energy by eating both plants (producers) and animals (primary consumers)

6. Carnivore
Organism that obtains energy by eating animals (primary consumers)

7. Food chain
The simplest path that organisms transfer energy through an ecosystem by eating and being eaten

8. Food web
A diagram that shows the many interconnected food chains describing the various paths that energy takes through an ecosystem.

9. Trophic Level
A term used to describe each level in the transfer of energy through an ecosystem

10. Primary Consumer
Consumer that feeds directly on producers

11. Apex Predator
An animal at the top of the food chain/web in its ecosystem

12. STOP! Label one of the following on your food chain diagram:
Primary consumer
Autotroph (producer)
Heterotroph (consumer)

13. STOP! Label one of each of the following on your food web diagram:
Producer
Primary consumer
Heterotroph (consumer)
Herbivore
Omnivore
Carnivore
Apex predator

14. Energy Pyramid
A diagram that shows the amount of energy available from one trophic (feeding) level to another in an ecosystem

15. Biomass
The total mass of living matter in a given unit area

16. Cycling of Matter Water Nitrogen Carbon Dioxide Oxygen
The atoms that make up an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts. The total amount of matter remains constant, even though its form and location may change.
Examples of matter that cycles includes:
Water
Nitrogen
Carbon Dioxide
Oxygen