Biosphere Basics
This term describes all the regions of Earth where life exists, including land, water, and air.
What is the biosphere?
A large region defined by climate, plants, and animals, such as deserts or tundra, is called this.
What is a biome?
Plants use sunlight to make their own food through this process.
What is photosynthesis?
This cycle moves water through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
What is the water cycle?
Cutting down forests faster than they can regrow is known as this.
What is deforestation?
This part of the biosphere includes all living organisms, from bacteria to blue whales.
What is the biotic component?
This biome has the greatest biodiversity and is found near the equator.
What is the tropical rainforest?
Animals that eat only plants are classified as this type of consumer.
What are herbivores?
Plants absorb this gas from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
What is carbon dioxide?
This type of farming focuses on protecting soil, water, and biodiversity for the future.
What is sustainable agriculture?
This non-living factor of the biosphere includes sunlight, temperature, water, and soil.
What are abiotic factors?
Grasslands that experience seasonal flooding and are home to animals like zebras and lions are called this.
What is the savanna?
This diagram shows multiple, interconnected food chains within an ecosystem.
What is a food web?
This nutrient cycle relies heavily on bacteria to convert nitrogen into usable forms for plants.
What is the nitrogen cycle?
An organism introduced into an ecosystem where it causes harm is called this.
What is an invasive species?
The biosphere interacts directly with this Earth system that includes all of Earth’s water.
What is the hydrosphere?
This aquatic ecosystem, where freshwater meets saltwater, is one of the most productive on Earth.
What is an estuary?
Only about this percentage of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next.
What is 10 percent?
Fossil fuels store carbon that has been locked away for millions of years in this cycle.
What is the carbon cycle?
The increase in Earth’s average temperature due to greenhouse gases is called this.
What is global warming?
This scientist is credited with developing the modern concept of the biosphere in the 1920s.
Who is Vladimir Vernadsky?
This biome is characterized by permafrost and stores large amounts of carbon that could affect climate change if released.
What is the tundra?
These organisms recycle nutrients by breaking down dead plants and animals.
What are decomposers?
The process by which bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas is called this.
What is denitrification?
This international agreement aims to limit global temperature rise by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
What is the Paris Climate Agreement?