Food Webs and Flow of Energy MS-LS2-3

Consumer

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

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organisms and waste, like fungi or bacteria. Decomposers are living things like fungi and bacteria that help break down dead plants and animals into simpler materials, returning nutrients to the soil.

Ecosystem

All the living and nonliving things interacting in an area. Ecosystem. An ecosystem is where plants, animals, and their environment work together as a unit.

Food chain

The food energy transfer between organisms in an ecosystem. Food chain. A food chain shows how energy from food moves from one living thing to another in an ecosystem.

Food web

A model of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem. Food web. A food web shows how different plants and animals in an ecosystem are connected and depend on each other for food.

Producer

Organism that can make its own food, like all plants. Producer. A producer is a living thing, usually a plant, that creates its own food using sunlight.

Trophic level

A step in the food chain or food web. Trophic level. A trophic level is the position an organism occupies in a food chain, like being a plant eater or a predator.