Earth's Major Systems
this is how many systems make up our Earth
four
when water changes from a liquid to a gas in the form of water vapor
evaporation
an organism that uses energy from the Sun to make its own food
producer
eat only plants
herbivores
the overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
food web
includes the solid and molten rock inside Earth, it also includes the soil, rock pieces, and land features at Earth's surface
geosphere
when gas changes to a liquid
condensation
every food chain begins with this
eat only other animals
carnivores
a place where plants and animals live
habitat
a layer of gases surrounding Earth
atmosphere
when it rains, water flows over Earth's surface as _________
runoff
organisms that cannot make their own food
consumers
eat both plants and animals
omnivores
plant-like organisms that get energy from other organisms which may be living or dead
fungi
all of Earth's liquid and solid water, including oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, and ice caps
hydrosphere
where plants get the carbon dioxide they need to survive
from the air
organisms that break down dead or decaying plant and animal materials
decomposers
organisms that hunt for their food
predators
the movement of energy from one organism to another in a food chain or food web
energy flow
all Earth's living things make up this sphere
biosphere
in the nitrogen cycle, nitrogen cycles between 3 things:
air, soil, and organisms
the path that energy and nutruients follow
food chain
organisms that are hunted
prey
the continuous circulation of nitrogen from air to soil to organisms and back to air or soil
nitrogen cycle