What is water pollution? Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies with substances that interfere with the natural functioning and beneficial use of the water bodies. This occurs mainly as a result of anthropogenic activities that cause the release of substances such as chemicals or pathogens into the subsurface groundwater, lakes, …
What is a tertiary consumer? A tertiary consumer in ecology is any organism that gets its nutrition from eating primary and secondary consumers. i.e. they feed on both members of the primary and secondary consumers in a food chain. They feeding on both secondary and primary consumers means that they can either …
What is a primary consumer? A primary consumer in ecology is an organism that eats plants as food. In an ecosystem where there is a complete food chain, the primary consumer predominantly occupies the second trophic level of the food web or food chain. Herbivores are the commonest primary consumers and they …
Secondary consumer definition A secondary consumer in ecology is an organism or group of organisms that feed on primary consumers (herbivores) to obtain the needed energy for their survival. For example, a deer which is a herbivore is fed upon by a lion or a hyena which is a secondary consumer. To …
What is the biosphere? The biosphere is the global entirety of all ecosystems in ecology, which includes all life forms and their interactions with the elements of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Simply put, the biosphere is the area of the Earth’s surface where land, air, and water connect to sustain life. …
What is a biogeochemical cycle? A biogeochemical cycle is a pathway in ecology and Earth science by which a chemical substance is turned over or moves through the biosphere and Earth’s lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. A biogeochemical cycle involves the exchanges of chemical elements between different parts of the Earth, such as …
What is the carbon cycle? The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle in the study of ecology that circulates and exchanges carbon among the biosphere (the zone of life on earth), pedosphere (the outer surface layer of the Earth that is made up of soil and susceptible to soil formation processes), geosphere …
What is the water cycle? The water cycle, also termed the hydrological cycle, depicts the continuous movement of water within the Earth and its atmosphere in ecology. Definition of the water cycle The water cycle is the movement of water between the atmosphere and land. In more technical terms, the water cycle …