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Enzo turned to the girl next to him. “Why did you poke me?” “I thought you needed it,” she said. “You seemed grumpy. This is going to be fun, you know. I’m Molly. Nice to meet you.” Reluctantly, Enzo shook her

ecosystem community of living organ- isms and nonliving things that are found in a specific area global warming rise in global temperatures over the past century and its conse- quences Words to Understand

outstretched hand. “Enzo,” he said. “And I’mnot so sure.Mypar- ents shipped me off to this camp because they think I needed to get out of the city for a few weeks. I would much rather be at home skateboarding with my friends.” The two of them followed Joaquin and the other campers in their group. “Oh, come on.” Molly said. “Give it a chance. I’ve heard great things. I think it will be an adventure.” “Yeah, an adventure in mosquito bites,” Enzo grumbled, slapping at the insect that landed on his arm. Joaquin stopped about a mile from camp in a grove of trees. “Look around you. What do you see?” “Trees,” someone answered. The group giggled nervously. “Yes, trees. But what is it about these trees?” he asked. “Take a close look at them. Go ahead, walk around, touch them. Examine the bark, the roots, the forest floor. Spend some time out there and let’s gather back here in a bit.” The campers wandered through the forest. Molly and Enzo walked together. “I think these trees are dead,” Molly said, looking up at the branches overhead. “Gee, you think?” Enzo said sarcastically, looking up at the grey branches lacking leaves. He stopped. “Listen. I don’t hear any birds, either.” “You’re right,” Molly said. “It’s as if the whole forest is dead.” Enzo and Molly walked around and looked more carefully at the trees. The darkened trees showed evidence of a forest fire. There were also marks indicating that insects had eaten away a lot of the bark and other layers of the tree. Molly also noticed that there wasn’t much vegetation growing anywhere in the area. The ground was packed hard, not soft and spongy as the woods had been closer to the camp. Once Joaquin got the campers back into their group he began to ask questions. “What do you think happened here?” photosynthesis process by which plants use carbon dioxide and energy from the sun to create energy and release oxygen

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