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Consumers in an ecosystem gain energy by consuming organic matter, such as plants or other animals. They break down these organic materials through processes like digestion to extract the nutrients and energy stored within them, which they use for growth, reproduction, and other metabolic activities.
Chemoautotrophs gain energy by oxidizing substances in their environment. This process involves breaking down chemical compounds and harvesting the released energy to support their metabolism and growth.
A category of living things that is defined by how they gain energy is called a trophic level. This concept helps to describe the flow of energy through an ecosystem, with each level representing a different feeding position in a food chain.
When ice is exposed to a temperature above its melting point of 0°C (32°F), it absorbs heat energy from the surroundings. As a result, the ice molecules gain enough energy to break free from their fixed positions and rearrange into a more disordered liquid state, transforming the ice into water. This process is known as melting.
The process is called evaporation. It occurs when the molecules in a liquid gain enough energy to escape into the atmosphere as a gas.