Chapter 5 Key Terms

Question 1

Photosynthesis

Answer 1

Energy from the sun enters an ecosystem when organisms use sunlight to make sugar

Question 2

Producer

Answer 2

An organism that makes its own food

Question 3

Consumers

Answer 3

Organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms

Question 4

Decomposers

Answer 4

Consumers that get their food by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms

Question 5

Cellular Respiration

Answer 5

Process of breaking down carbohydrates to yield energy

Question 6

Food Chain

Answer 6

Path in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as organism eats another organism

Question 7

Food Web

Answer 7

Includes more organisms and shows the feeding relationships between organisms that are possible in an ecosystem

Question 8

Trophic Level

Answer 8

Each Step through which energy is transferred in a food chain

Question 9

Carbon Cycle

Answer 9

Process by which carbon is cyceled between the atmosphere, land, water, and organisms

Question 10

Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria

Answer 10

Can fix atmospheric nitrogen in a useful form called ammonia

Question 11

Nitrogen cycle

Answer 11

A process in which nitrogen is cyceled between the atmosphere, soil, and organisms

Question 12

Phosphorus cycle

Answer 12

Movement of phosphorus from the environmennt to organims and then back to the environment

Question 13

Ecological Succession

Answer 13

Gradual progress of change and replacement of some or all of the species in a community

Question 14

Primary Succession

Answer 14

Succession that occurs in areas that previously did not support life

Question 15

Secondary Succession

Answer 15

Occurs in areas where an ecosystem has previously existed

Question 16

pioneer species

Answer 16

A species that colonizes an uninhabited area and begins the process of ecological succession

Question 17

Climax Community

Answer 17

Final and stable community