Food Webs and Flow of Energy MS-LS2-3

Cellular respiration

Cells using oxygen to produce energy from food. Cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is the process by which cells break down food and use oxygen to release energy.

Consumer

Unlike a plant, a consumer cannot make its own food, instead it eats other living things. A consumer is an organism that gets energy by eating other organisms.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organisms and waste, like fungi or bacteria, is a decomposer. Decomposers are nature's recyclers, turning dead material into nutrients for the soil.

Food web

A model of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem. Food web. A food web is a diagram that shows how plants and animals are connected in their ecosystem through what they eat.

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical reactions in an organism is metabolism. Metabolism is how an organism uses food and oxygen to grow, move, and stay healthy.

Molecule

A group of atoms held together by bonds. Molecule. A molecule is a tiny unit made up of two or more atoms joined together.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make food. Photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is how plants make their own food using sunlight.

Producer

Organism that can make its own food, like all plants. Producer. A producer is a living thing, like a plant, that makes its own food through photosynthesis.

Trophic level

A step in the food chain or food web trophic level. Trophic level is the position an organism holds in a food chain, showing who eats whom.