Living Environment Translated English 2014 | Page 32

      Plants release oxygen (O2), glucose ( C6H12O6) and water as products of photosynthesis. Consumers cannot make food. They obtain energy by eating producers or other consumers. o Herbivores are consumers that eat only plants. o Carnivores are consumers that eat only animal matter. o Omnivores are consumers that eat both plant and animal matter. o Decomposers break down dead and decaying matter. o Detritivores are organisms that eat dead organic matter. o Decomposers are detritivores that break down dead and decaying matter into simple compounds. Matter can be recycled, but energy cannot. A food chain models the feeding relationships between species. These show how matter and energy pass from one organisms to another. A food web is a model that shows the complex network of feeding relationships within an ecosystem. A energy pyramid is a diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. o Tropic levels are the levels of nourishment in an area. o Producers are the largest energy level in an energy pyramid. o Primary consumers are herbivores because they are the first consumer above the producer level. o Secondary consumers are carnivores that eat herbivores.