Answer Key - Corsicana ISD

Answer Key

Vocabulary Practice 9. a heterotroph eats other light is used as the energy
organisms to get its source
A. Synonyms or Antonyms nourishment 3. a food chain shows a simple
sequence that links one
1. synonym 10. a biogeochemical cycle producer to one consumer
2. antonym follows the path of a and so on; a food web
3. antonym chemical in both the living shows the complex network
4. synonym and geological (or earth) of feeding relationships
5. antonym parts of an ecosystem within an ecosystem
6. antonym 4. a community is a group
11. the hydrologic cycle is the of different species that
B. Stepped-Out Vocabulary water cycle live together in one area;
an ecosystem includes
1. A species that has an 12. mass of living things in a communities of different
unusually large effect on its given area species along with all the
ecosystem; its loss greatly abiotic factors within the
impacts its ecosystem; a D. Categorize Words area as well
beaver is a keystone species
1. wind, A; sunlight, A; deer, G. Crossword Puzzle
2. An organism that eats B Across
both plants and animals;
omnivores are often 2. soil, A; sunflower, B; water, 1. energy pyramid
generalists; most humans A 3. trophic level
are omnivores 6. biogeochemical cycle
3. fungus, B; snow, A; eagle, 7. ecosystem
3. An organism that breaks B 8. biodiversity
down organic matter into 10. biome
smaller compounds; a type 4. temperature, A; prairie dog,
of detritivore; fungi are B; frog, B Down
decomposers
E. Find the Odd Word 2. nitrogen fixation
C. Word Origins 4. decomposer
1. plant; a carnivore is a 5. specialist
1. the study of our home consumer 6. biomass
(Earth) 7. ecology
2. producer; a decomposer is
2. photosynthesis uses light a type of detritivore
energy to join together
chemical compounds to 3. autotroph; both omnivores
form carbohydrates and herbivores are
consumers (heterotrophs)
3. a carnivore eats flesh
4. an herbivore eats vegetation 4. keystone species; an energy
5. a detritivore breaks down pyramid is made up of
different trophic levels
organic matter into smaller
pieces F. What’s the Difference?
6. an omnivore eats all things,
plants and animals 1. a producer makes its
7. chemosynthesis uses own food from nonliving
chemical energy to resources; a consumer gets
join together chemical its energy by eating other
compounds to form organisms
carbohydrates
8. an autotroph makes its own 2. chemosynthesis is
nourishment the process by which an
organism forms
carbohydrates by using
chemicals as an energy
source; in photosynthesis,

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Principles of Ecology

Holt McDougal Biology

Name: _____________________________ Class: _________________ Date: __________________

CHAPTER PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGY

13 Vocabulary Practice

ecology keystone species herbivore trophic level
community producer carnivore food web
ecosystem autotroph omnivore biomass
biome consumer detritivore energy pyramid
biotic heterotroph decomposer
abiotic chemosynthesis specialist
biodiversity food chain generalist

A. Synonyms or Antonyms Identify the words in each pair as synonyms, which are
words that mean roughly the same thing, or antonyms, which are words that mean roughly the
opposite.

1. producer/autotroph
2. specialist/generalist
3. biotic/abiotic
4. consumer/heterotroph
5. chemosynthesis/photosynthesis
6. herbivore/meat-eater

B. Stepped-Out Vocabulary Define each word. Then write two additional facts that
are related to the word.

WORD DEFINITION MORE INFORMATION
Example herbivore an organism that eats plants primary consumer

1. keystone species a cow is an herbivore

2. omnivore

3. decomposer

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Holt McDougal Biology

Name: _____________________________ Class: _________________ Date: __________________
VOCABULARY PRACTICE, CONTINUED

C. Word Origins Circle the Greek and Latin word parts in each vocabulary term. Then
use the Greek and Latin meanings to construct a very basic definition of the vocabulary word.

bio- = life auto- = self carnus = flesh
eco- = home hetero- = different omnis = all
syn- = together chemo- = chemical detrere = to wear away
-vore = eat photo- = light geo- = earth
-troph = nourishment -logy = study of
hydro- = water herba = vegetation

WORD DEFINITION
1. ecology
2. photosynthesis
3. carnivore
4. herbivore
5. detritivore
6. omnivore
7. chemosynthesis
8. autotroph
9. heterotroph

10. biomass

D. Categorize Words Write “A” next to words that can describe abiotic factors. Write
“B” next to words that can describe biotic factors.

1. wind sunlight deer

2. soil sunflower water
3. fungus snow eagle

4. temperature prairie dog frog

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 2 Principles of Ecology

Holt McDougal Biology

Name: _____________________________ Class: _________________ Date: __________________
VOCABULARY PRACTICE, CONTINUED

E. Find the Odd Word Place a check mark next to the word that does not belong and
explain why.

1. consumer Explanation
carnivore Explanation
plant Explanation
Explanation
2. detritivore
producer
decomposer

3. omnivore
autotroph
herbivore

4. trophic level
energy pyramid
keystone species

F. What’s the Difference? For each pair of words below, describe the difference
between the two terms.

1. producer/consumer

2. chemosynthesis/photosynthesis

3. food chain/food web

4. community/ecosystem

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 3 Principles of Ecology

Holt McDougal Biology

Name: _____________________________ Class: _________________ Date: __________________
VOCABULARY PRACTICE, CONTINUED

G. Crossword Puzzle Use the clues to solve the puzzle.

Across Down

1. A diagram that compares energy use among 2. The process by which gaseous nitrogen is
trophic levels converted into ammonia

3. Level of nourishment in a food chain 4. Detritivore that breaks down organic matter
6. Movement of a particular chemical through into simpler compounds

the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem 5. A consumer that primarily eats one specific
7. All of the organisms as well as the abiotic organism

factors in a given area 6. The measure of the total dry mass of organisms
8. The variety of living things in an ecosystem in a given area
10. A major regional or global community of
7. The study of the interactions among living
organisms things, and between living things and their
surroundings

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© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 4 Principles of Ecology

Holt McDougal Biology