Cattle graze in a pasture.

Food Chain Vocabulary ecosystem: an interacting group of living organisms in an area food chain: the sequence of who eats whom in and ecosystem food web: a network of many food chains in an ecosystem producer/autotroph: an organism that makes its own food; they are the base of every food chain consumer/heterotrophy: a living thing that eats other living things to survive herbivore/primary consumer: an animal that eats plants, the first consumer carnivore/secondary consumer: an animal that eats meat, the second consumer tertiary consumer: an animal that eats a secondary consumer, the third consumer omnivore: an animal that eats both plants and other animals decomposer: an organism that breaks down dead plants and animals; they are the end of every food chain scavenger/detrivore: an organism that feeds on decomposing plants and animals; they leave the remains for decomposers predator: an animal that hunts and kills other animals for food (prey) trophic level: the position an organism holds on the food chain filter feeder: animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water (examples: clams, oysters, blue whales) parasite: an organism that feeds off of and harms another living thing (host) forage: to wander in search of food; the grasses and plants eaten by animals graze: to feed on growing grass (Cattle graze in a pasture.) photoplankton: single celled organisms floating in the ocean that can make their own food (example: algae)

Food Chain Vocabulary ecosystem: an ___________________ group of living organisms in an area food chain: the sequence of _______________________ in and ecosystem food web: a network of ____________________________ in an ecosystem producer/autotroph: an organism that _____________________; they are the ________________ of every food chain consumer/heterotrophy: a living thing that eats ___________________ to survive herbivore/primary consumer: an animal that eats ___________________, the first consumer carnivore/secondary consumer: an animal that eats _________________, the second consumer tertiary consumer: an animal that eats a ___________ consumer, the third consumer omnivore: an animal that eats ___________ plants and other animals decomposer: an organism that breaks down _____________ plants and animals; they are the ____________ of every food chain scavenger/detrivore: an organism that feeds on __________________ plants and animals; they leave the remains for _____________________ predator: an animal that hunts ______________ other animals for food (_______) trophic level: the position an organism holds on the __________________ filter feeder: animals that feed by _______________ suspended matter and food particles from water (examples: clams, _______________, blue whales) parasite: an organism that feeds off of _________________ another living thing (___________) forage: to wander in search of ____________; the grasses and plants eaten by animals graze: to feed on __________________ (Cattle graze in a pasture.) photoplankton: single celled organisms floating in the _____________ that can make _____________________ (example: algae)