---
title: "Ecosystems & Habitats"
description: "36 topics in Science, in the order they build on each other."
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/areas/ecosystems-and-habitats
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/areas/ecosystems-and-habitats.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

> **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants.
> When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md
> API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md
> Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt
> Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json
> Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`.

# Ecosystems & Habitats

36 topics in Science, in the order they build on each other.

Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/areas/ecosystems-and-habitats

- [Plants and animals in their habitats](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/plants-and-animals-in-their-habitats-mt_e6PP4ip39V): Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals and the places they live, connecting organism needs to habitat features
- [Reducing Human Impact](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/reducing-human-impact-mt_deexfCHU9m): Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and other living things in the local environment
- [Habitat Vocabulary](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/habitat-vocabulary-mt_Fw0bbM1e_g): Name and use vocabulary for where living things are found: habitat, environment, microhabitat, conditions, woodland, ocean, desert, rainforest, pond, and use terms to describe what animals need to survive: food, water, shelter, space, and suitable conditions
- [Living, Dead & Never Alive](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/living-dead-and-never-alive-mt_Sa48W7KXB5): Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive
- [Human impact on environments](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/human-impact-on-environments-mt_YB0qF5KX9C): Use vocabulary for human impact on the environment — pollution, habitat destruction, deforestation, biodiversity, conservation, renewable energy, non-renewable energy, fossil fuel, carbon footprint, sustainability, endangered, extinct — and apply these when discussing environmental issues and human choices
- [Chromosomes, Genes & DNA](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/chromosomes-genes-and-dna-mt_6aJUzBYGNs): Describe the relationship between chromosomes, genes, and DNA in heredity, including the double helix structure of DNA and the historical roles of Watson, Crick, Franklin, and Wilkins
- [Genetic Mutation](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/genetic-mutation-mt_rOqo-8GeKt): Explain genetic mutation as a random change in DNA sequence, describe causes of mutation (e.g. radiation, chemicals, copying errors), and explain that most mutations are neutral, some harmful, and a few beneficial
- [The Water Cycle in Detail](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-water-cycle-in-detail-mt_V2lNzEex_a): Describe the water cycle, tracing water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, surface runoff, and transpiration in plants, explaining how the sun drives the cycle
- [Habitats & Basic Needs](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/habitats-and-basic-needs-mt_cM8YS6NXqi): Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how habitats provide for basic needs and how organisms depend on each other
- [Local Plants & Animals](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/local-plants-and-animals-mt_ppENoD8vf1): Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats such as under a log or in a pond
- [Simple Food Chains](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/simple-food-chains-mt_EygMHKs8Ed): Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify different sources of food
- [Animal Groups & Survival](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/animal-groups-and-survival-mt_i4bDqjyglj): Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive, such as herds, packs, or colonies
- [Changing Environments](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/changing-environments-mt_Wyd-l-6H7G): Recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers and challenges to living things
- [Ecology Vocabulary](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/ecology-vocabulary-mt_M7XhBBzYof): Use vocabulary for feeding relationships and ecological roles — producer, consumer, predator, prey, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer, food chain, food web, nutrient cycle — and describe how energy and matter flow through ecosystems using these terms
- [Food Chains & Energy Transfer](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/food-chains-and-energy-transfer-mt_oB-L8EVdIP): Construct and interpret food chains identifying producers, predators, and prey, and understand energy transfer between trophic levels
- [Grouping Living Things](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/grouping-living-things-mt_AylKwhbDWM): Recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways based on observable features
- [Classification Keys](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/classification-keys-mt_brgde1Vx0P): Explore and use classification keys to identify, group, and name living things in local and wider environments
- [Reading Food Web Diagrams](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/reading-food-web-diagrams-mt_uVaS12lN1i): Read and interpret food web diagrams — identify producers, primary and secondary consumers, and decomposers; trace energy flow along food chains within the web; predict the effect of removing or adding a species
- [Animal Life Cycles](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/animal-life-cycles-mt_A1Xfu5p5KT): Describe differences in the life cycles of mammals, amphibians, insects, and birds, comparing metamorphosis with direct development
- [Plant & Animal Reproduction](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/plant-and-animal-reproduction-mt_yNWt3GQBNp): Describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals, including sexual and asexual reproduction in plants
- [Classifying Organisms](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/classifying-organisms-mt_IY3KwGLZgk): Describe how living things are classified into broad groups (micro-organisms, plants, animals) according to common observable characteristics, similarities, and differences
- [Communities Protecting Resources](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/communities-protecting-resources-mt_7e-lG7YOWa): Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment
- [Food Webs & Interdependence](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/food-webs-and-interdependence-mt_URTJbS3hhs): Construct and interpret food webs showing the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem, explaining how a change in one population affects others
- [Energy Loss Between Levels](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/energy-loss-between-levels-mt_BOG5zRYtQz): Explain how energy is transferred between trophic levels in a food chain, why energy is lost at each stage, and use pyramids of biomass/numbers to represent this
- [Pollination & Pollinator Decline](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/pollination-and-pollinator-decline-mt_wWpa5fFDZP): Explain the importance of insect pollination for plant reproduction and human food security, and discuss the consequences of pollinator decline
- [Species Distribution & Change](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/species-distribution-and-change-mt_JSUGQ5Repv): Explain how environmental change (climate change, habitat loss, pollution) affects the distribution of species, including range shifts, local extinction, and invasive species
- [Toxins in Food Chains and Organisms Changing Habitats](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/toxins-in-food-chains-and-organisms-changing-habitats-mt_YvCgDM0Scg): Explain how organisms affect and are affected by their environment, including the bioaccumulation of toxic materials (e.g. pesticides, heavy metals) through food chains
- [Biodiversity & Resilience](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/biodiversity-and-resilience-mt_xSs0xAd6i1): Explain what biodiversity means, why high biodiversity makes ecosystems more resilient, and describe the ways human activity threatens biodiversity (habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, climate change)
- [Variation in Species](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/variation-in-species-mt_k1HXbEwG8f): Explain variation within and between species, distinguishing between continuous variation (e.g. height) and discontinuous variation (e.g. blood group), and between genetic and environmental causes
- [Matter Cycling in Ecosystems](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/matter-cycling-in-ecosystems-mt_0ajzcoKAKw): Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment in an ecosystem
- [How Natural Selection Works](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/how-natural-selection-works-mt_FuVEZ1Ac9s): Explain how heritable variation and unequal reproductive success can change trait frequencies across generations through natural selection, one mechanism of evolution; competition is one possible source of selection pressure.
- [Evidence for Evolution](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/evidence-for-evolution-mt_ohUnzoI_nx): Describe the main types of evidence for evolution: the fossil record (change over time), comparative anatomy (homologous structures), and the geographic distribution of related species
- [Extinction & Rapid Change](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/extinction-and-rapid-change-mt_-r3B4FQyX3): Explain how environmental change can outpace a species' ability to adapt through natural selection, leading to extinction, using historical and contemporary examples
- [The Carbon Cycle](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-carbon-cycle-mt_Be1A88GUpu): Describe the carbon cycle, tracing carbon through photosynthesis, respiration, feeding, decomposition, and combustion, and explain the role of each process
- [Evidence-Based Classification](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/evidence-based-classification-mt_B8lX8OCzGu): Give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics, using evidence to justify classification decisions
- [Predicting Inherited Traits](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/predicting-inherited-traits-mt_o7FJPDsHiW): Explain how alleles are inherited in sexual reproduction and use Punnett squares to predict the probability of offspring inheriting a characteristic, including dominant and recessive alleles