Unit 6 Vocabulary

Question 1

Decomposition -

Answer 1

Decomposition – the process by which decomposers break down dead material and waste into simpler substances

Question 2

Energy pyramid –

Answer 2

Energy pyramid – a diagram that demonstrates the flow of energy through a food chain

Question 3

Photosynthesis –

Answer 3

Photosynthesis – the process by which producers/plants use the energy in sunlight to create their own food

Question 4

Trophic level –

Answer 4

Trophic level – the position that an organism occupies in a food chain, food web, or energy pyramid (e.g., producer, primary consumer, etc.)

Question 5

Chemical Energy-

Answer 5

Chemical Energy- energy released from a substance, or absorbed in the formation of a chemical compound, during a chemical reaction

Question 6

Consumer-

Answer 6

Consumer- animals that eat primary producers

Question 7

Decomposer-

Answer 7

Decomposer- an organism, especially a bacteria or fungus, that decomposes organic material

Question 8

Food Chain-

Answer 8

Food Chain- a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food

Question 9

Food Web-

Answer 9

Food Web- a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

Question 10

Producer-

Answer 10

Producer- an organism that makes its own food from light energy or chemical energy without eating

Question 11

Radiant Energy-

Answer 11

Radiant Energy- the energy of electromagnetic waves (light energy)

Question 12

Autotroph-

Answer 12

Autotroph- an organism that can make its own food ex. Photosynthesis

Question 13

Heterotroph-

Answer 13

Heterotroph- an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients.

Question 14

Thermal Energy-

Answer 14

Thermal Energy- also known as heat energy, is the energy an object has because of the movement of its molecules

Question 15

Mechanical Energy-

Answer 15

Mechanical Energy- the energy that is possessed by an object due to its motion