Nature

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a nucleotide that transfers chemical energy to power cellular processes and also serves as a precursor for RNA synthesis.

Animals are multicellular, heterotrophic organisms of the kingdom Animalia, encompassing diverse life forms from sponges and insects to humans.

Biodiversity is the variety of life at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels, encompassing biological differences, ecological relationships, and the living systems they form.

The biosphere comprises Earth’s living organisms and the environments they inhabit, connected through ecological interactions and exchanges of energy and matter.

C3 photosynthesis fixes carbon dioxide directly through the Calvin–Benson cycle, producing a three-carbon compound as its first stable product.

C4 photosynthesis concentrates carbon dioxide around Rubisco using four-carbon intermediates, reducing photorespiration under favorable environmental conditions.

The Calvin cycle is a biochemical pathway that uses ATP and NADPH to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds while regenerating its carbon acceptor.

Carbon fixation converts inorganic carbon into organic compounds, supplying the material basis of biomass and linking biological metabolism to the global carbon cycle.

Chlorophyll is a family of magnesium-containing pigments that capture light energy for photosynthesis in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty addressing biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources.

A photosynthetic adaptation that separates initial carbon capture at night from daytime carbon assimilation, often reducing water loss.

Cyanobacteria are oxygen-producing photosynthetic bacteria that shape aquatic ecosystems, nutrient cycles, and the evolutionary history of life.

Decomposition is the biological and physical breakdown of organic remains, recycling nutrients and transferring carbon through ecosystems.

Deforestation is the conversion of forest to non-forest land uses, affecting biodiversity, carbon storage, water cycling, and human livelihoods.

Ecological restoration assists the recovery of degraded ecosystems by reestablishing native biodiversity, ecological processes, and ecosystem integrity.

An ecosystem is a functional system of living organisms and their physical environment, connected through biological interactions, energy flows, and the cycling of matter.

Ecosystem services are the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being, including material resources, environmental regulation, and cultural benefits.

Eutrophication is nutrient enrichment of aquatic ecosystems that increases biological production and can cause algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and habitat degradation.

A food web is a network of feeding relationships that describes how energy and matter pass among organisms in an ecological community.

A forest is a tree-dominated ecosystem that supports diverse organisms, regulates carbon and water cycles, and provides resources and livelihoods.

Genetic diversity is the variety of inherited genetic differences within and among populations, providing the variation on which evolution acts.

The giant panda is a bamboo-specialized bear native to mountainous forests in China, distinguished by its black-and-white coat and prominent role in wildlife conservation.

A habitat is the place and environmental setting in which an organism or population lives, obtaining the resources and conditions needed for survival and reproduction.

Habitat fragmentation divides continuous habitat into separate patches, changing ecological connectivity, population dynamics, and the conditions experienced by organisms.

Hydrolysis is a reaction involving water that cleaves chemical bonds or changes the acid–base behavior of dissolved ions.

IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body that assesses knowledge about biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people to inform public policy.

Invasive species are organisms introduced beyond their natural ranges that establish, spread, and cause environmental, economic, or human-health harm.

An international framework adopted in 2022 that establishes four goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Photorespiration recycles products of Rubisco oxygenation, recovering carbon while consuming energy and releasing carbon dioxide.

Photosynthesis converts light into chemical energy, supporting most food webs and supplying the oxygen released by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria.

A photosystem is a membrane-bound pigment–protein complex that captures light and drives electron transfer during photosynthesis.

A plant is a member of a diverse lineage of organisms that includes land plants and, under broader definitions, related algae, most of which obtain energy through photosynthesis.

Pollination is the transfer of pollen to a seed plant’s receptive reproductive structures, enabling fertilization and contributing to plant reproduction, ecosystem functioning, and crop production.

Primary production is the synthesis of organic matter from inorganic carbon using light or chemical energy, providing the biological foundation of most ecosystems.

Ribose is a five-carbon sugar whose D form supplies the sugar component of RNA and numerous biologically important nucleotides.

Rubisco is the enzyme that catalyzes carbon dioxide fixation in the Calvin cycle and also initiates photorespiration through a competing oxygenation reaction.

A stoma is a microscopic plant pore bordered by guard cells that regulates gas exchange and water loss.

Transpiration is the loss of water vapor from plants, linking their internal water transport to atmospheric exchange and the water cycle.

Water is the chemical compound H₂O, essential to life and central to Earth’s climate, landscapes, and human activities.

A wetland is an ecosystem shaped by permanent or seasonal water saturation, supporting distinctive soils, organisms, and ecological processes.

Xylem is the plant vascular tissue that conducts water and dissolved minerals and contributes to mechanical support and storage.