| Questions | 5 |
| Topics | Decomposers, Fiber, Health Benefits of Vitamins & Minerals, Plate Tectonics, Species |
Decomposers (saprotrophs) are organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break down the organic matter in the dead bodies of plants and animals into simple nutrients.
Fiber provides bulk to help the large intestine carry away waste. Good sources of fiber are leafy vegetables, beans, potatoes, fruits, and whole grains.
| Vitamin / Mineral | Sources | Health Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium | Dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese), spinach. | Aids bone growth and repair, muscle function. |
| Iron | Red meat, beans, whole grains. | Allows red blood cells to transfer oxygen to body tissues. |
| Magnesium | Nuts, whole grains, green leafy vegetables. | Muscle, nerve, and enzyme function. |
| Potassium | Bananas, nuts, seeds. | Helps balance fluid levels in the body. |
| Vitamin A | Liver, milk, eggs, carrots. | Vision, immune system, cell growth. |
| Vitamin C | Green and red peppers, citrus fruits, broccoli. | Collagen formation, immune system function, antioxidant (helps protect cells from damage). |
| Vitamin D | Exposure to sunlight. | Helps calcium strengthen bones, muscle, nerve, and immune system function. |
The crust and the rigid lithosphere (upper mantle) is made up of approximately thirty separate plates. These plates more very slowly on the slightly more liquid mantle (asthenosphere) beneath them. This movement has resulted in continental drift which is the gradual movement of land masses across Earth's surface. Continental drift is a very slow process, occurring over hundreds of millions of years.
The narrowest classification of life, species, contains organisms that are so similar that they can only reproduce with others of the same species.