Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Explanation: Photosynthesis allows plants to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen, using sunlight and chlorophyll.

Explanation: The octopus has three hearts (two for the gills, one for the body) and its blood is blue because it contains copper (hemocyanin) instead of iron.

Explanation: The Great Barrier Reef, off Australia, stretches over 2,300 km. It is visible from space and harbors exceptional biodiversity.

Explanation: Tardigrades can enter cryptobiosis and survive up to 10 years without water. These micro-animals also resist the vacuum of space and radiation.

Explanation: The Armillaria ostoyae (honey fungus) in Oregon spans 965 hectares and is over 2,400 years old. Its underground mycelium makes it the largest known organism.

Explanation: Darwin's bark spider silk (Caerostris darwini) is 10 times stronger than Kevlar and more elastic than nylon, making it the strongest known biomaterial.

Explanation: Bioluminescence in fireflies is caused by a chemical reaction involving luciferin and the enzyme luciferase, producing cold light without heat.

Explanation: It is estimated that 80% of ocean species remain to be discovered. The deep sea, representing more than 95% of Earth's habitable space, is largely unexplored.

Explanation: Bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) are the oldest trees in the world. One of them, named Methuselah, is over 4,850 years old.

Explanation: The Pacific Ocean contains the Mariana Trench, whose Challenger Deep reaches 10,994 meters in depth.

Explanation: The Fujita scale (F0 to F5) measures tornado intensity based on damage caused. It has been replaced by the Enhanced Fujita scale (EF).

Explanation: The axolotl can regenerate not only its limbs but also its heart, brain, and spinal cord, fascinating researchers in regenerative medicine.

Explanation: Koalas have fingerprints so similar to ours that they can even fool forensic experts. This is a case of convergent evolution.

Explanation: The Northern Lights are caused by the interaction between charged solar particles and gases in the upper atmosphere, channeled by Earth's magnetic field.

Explanation: An adult elephant can drink up to 200 liters of water per day and uses its trunk to suck up to 10 liters at a time.

Explanation: Ocean phytoplankton produces 50 to 80% of Earth's oxygen, much more than tropical forests. These microorganisms are essential to life on Earth.

Explanation: Mutualistic symbiosis is a win-win relationship. Example: clownfish and sea anemones protect each other.

Explanation: An endemic species lives only in a limited geographic area. Madagascar is home to 90% endemic species, such as lemurs.