Plants and Ecosystems - Life Cycles of Living Things

A life cycle represents the stages a living thing goes through from birth to death. Common stages include $birth$, $growth$, $reproduction$, and $death$.

Plant Life Cycle: Most plants begin as a $seed$. Through the process of $germination$, the seed grows into a $seedling$ and eventually a $mature\ plant$ that produces its own seeds.

Photosynthesis: Plants are producers that create their own food using $light\ energy$, water ($H_2O$), and carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) to produce glucose ($C_6H_{12}O_6$) and oxygen ($O_2$).

Animal Life Cycles: Some animals undergo $metamorphosis$. For example, a butterfly's stages are $Egg \rightarrow Larva (Caterpillar) \rightarrow Pupa (Chrysalis) \rightarrow Adult$.

Ecosystems: Living things ($biotic$ factors) and non-living things ($abiotic$ factors) interact. Plants provide the $O_2$ that animals need to breathe, while animals release $CO_2$ used by plants.

Pollination and Seed Dispersal: Plants rely on wind, water, or animals to move pollen for reproduction and to scatter seeds so new plants can grow in different areas.