The Circle of Life
These living things make their own food from sunlight, water, and soil, forming the foundation of food chains.
What are producers (or autotrophs)
This term refers to all the living parts or organisms present within an ecosystem.
What are biotic factors
The natural home or specific environment where a plant, animal, or organism lives.
What is a habitat
Water moves continuously through Earth's systems via evaporation, condensation, and this process that brings water back down to Earth.
What is precipitation
Carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles and industrial processes are cited as the primary cause of this global phenomenon.
What is climate change
Organisms like fungi and bacteria that get energy by breaking down dead plants and animals fit into this role.
What are decomposers (or detritivores)
Sunlight, air, rocks, soil, and water are all examples of these non-living factors in an ecosystem.
What are abiotic factors?
Combining the study of life and variety, this term describes the overall variety of life forms within a given habitat or ecosystem.
What is biodiversity
Carbon dioxide enters living tissues during photosynthesis and is released back into the atmosphere through respiration and this process, which includes forest fires.
What is combustion
A state of equilibrium where species and organism populations within a community remain relatively stable over time.
What is ecological balance
Animals like bears, raccoons, and humans that eat both plant material and meat fall under this nutritional category.
What are omnivores
Derived from Greek roots meaning "other" and "nourishment," this scientific term describes consumers that cannot make their own food.
What are heterotrophs
Rainforests, deserts, and the Great Barrier Reef are prime examples of these geographical areas containing exceptionally high biodiversity.
What are hotspots
These energy sources are formed deep underground over millions of years through the extreme compression of dead organic matter.
What are fossil fuels
Unlike human actions, natural events like wildfires, tornadoes, floods, and volcanic eruptions are classified as these types of disruptions.
What are natural disruptions
Rather than a simple single line of energy flow, this diagram shows the complex, interconnected feeding relationships between multiple organisms.
What is a food web
Fungi and bacteria act as decomposers, but this specific term refers to organisms that break down organic matter into simpler forms so nutrients can be recycled.
What are detritivores?
This term refers to organisms that are capable of reproducing with one another and exchanging genes.
What is a species?
Although most of this element is located in Earth's atmosphere, soil bacteria convert it into usable compounds for plants.
What is nitrogen
Rising global temperatures from climate change are directly linked to an increased occurrence of forest fires, storms, and these extended dry periods with no water.
What are droughts
On a biomass pyramid, this specific level of organisms always contains the highest amount of energy.
What are producers
This term describes a biological community of living organisms interacting directly with their non-living environment.
What is an ecosystem
This measurement represents the maximum population size that an environment's available resources can support.
What is carrying capacity
This term describes the total mass of living organic matter present within a given ecosystem.
What is biomass
Deforestation, chemical emissions from factories, and introducing these non-native organisms represent human disruptions to ecological stability.
What are invasive species