Ecosystem General
All the living and nonliving things that interact in an area make up a(n) ______.
Ecosystem
A(n) ________ is any organism that makes its own food.
producer
An organism that gets energy by eating other organisms
An organism that breaks down dead organisms and their waste
decomposer
Scientists that study ecosystems and teach other people about them are called ______.
ecologists
Energy enters most ecosystems as ______
sunlight
Do some consumers eat plants, animals, or both?
both
What are decomposers’ most important ecosystem function?
They recycle materials
Tiny plantlike organisms called _______ are food for many pond animals.
algae
cattails
tadpoles
water lilies
algae
During photosynthesis, plants produce sugar and ______
oxygen
What two systems are in the body that help support the process of consuming food, breaking it down into simple materials, and transporting it through out the body?
Digestive and Circulatory
A mixture of soil and decaying matter that provides the materials plants need
Compost
Name a living and nonliving thing that interact in an ecosystem.
Answers will vary
Plants turn sugar into _______ for storage so they can have energy even when they cannot perform photosynthesis.
starch
You have learned that humans, like all consumers, have needs that must be met if they are to survive. What are 3 needs that must be met for you to survive?
Food, shelter, water
A group of living things that are neither plant nor animal, and is a type of decomposer
Fungi
Ecosystems can vary greatly. Notice that one could have many more plants than the other. What is the most likely cause of this difference?
differences in temperature, sunlight, and soil
Photosynthesis is the process that plants use to make food from water and carbon dioxide. Which part of the plant is mainly responsible for capturing carbon dioxide for photosynthesis?
Stomata in the leaves
You have learned that birds need to gain a lot of weight before they migrate long distances, because many of them cannot eat while they are migrating. What other consumer might have to store a lot of food, and why?
Bear in hibernation, etc.
Organisms that are too small to be seen without a microscope
Bacteria