Ecology And Ecosystems

A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another, from producers to top consumers.

A food web is a complex, interconnected network of multiple food chains within an ecosystem, showing how energy flows through many pathways.

A producer (autotroph) is an organism, such as a plant or alga, that synthesizes its own food from inorganic substances using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

A primary consumer is an herbivore that feeds directly on producers, occupying the second trophic level in a food chain.

A secondary consumer is a carnivore or omnivore that feeds on primary consumers, occupying the third trophic level.

A tertiary consumer is a predator that feeds on secondary consumers, occupying the fourth trophic level in a food chain.

A decomposer is an organism, such as bacteria or fungi, that breaks down dead organic matter and recycles nutrients back into the ecosystem.

A trophic level is a hierarchical position in a food chain, defined by the number of energy-transfer steps from the primary producers.

the rest is lost mainly as heat.

A trophic cascade is an ecological phenomenon where changes at the top of the food chain cause reciprocal effects at lower trophic levels.

A biome is a large-scale community of organisms classified primarily by the dominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations to that particular environment.

Tropical rainforests have high biodiversity, warm temperatures year-round (25–30°C), heavy annual rainfall (>200 cm), and a dense canopy structure with multiple layers.