a kingdom of prokaryotic, single-celled organisms that live in every environment on Earth

the process by which insects, worms, bacteria, and fungi cycle organic substances through the ecosystem by breaking down dead organisms and their products

the process of breaking down food into its components to be used for energy or nutrients in the organism

the biotic and abiotic resources provided to support specific populations in a community

a kingdom of eukaryotic, single- or multicellular organisms that have cell walls made of chitin and are heterotrophic decomposers

material that is made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorous; material that is, was, or was produced by a living organism

an individual form of life, such as a plant, animal, bacterium, protist, or fungus; a body made up of organs, organelles, or other parts that work together to carry on the various processes of life

an international system used to classify organisms into increasingly more inclusive groupings; from broadest to most specific: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species