Matter and Energy
In what way do plants and animals differ in how they get their energy?
Plants receive energy from the sun and use it to produce their own food. Animals get energy from eating other organisms
What are biotic factors? List 5 examples.
Biotic factors are the parts of an ecosystem that are living or used to be living.
Examples: trees, plants, bones, microorganisms, zebra’s, dead leaves, etc.
How can competition for resources affect a population?
Competition for resources causes the population with more advantageous traits to survive better than the others. Competition can also reduce survival and reproduction rates.
How is a food chain different from a food web?
Food Chains- A food chain shows the pathway of energy through organisms.
Food Web- a food web is a network of many connected food chains.
Several food chains can overlap.
Top predators have the least energy available.
Describe the steps to form a fossil.
An organism dies and its soft tissues decompose.
The remaining hard parts are buried by layers of sediment.
Minerals replace the organic material or fill in spaces (permineralization).
Over time, sediment hardens into rock.
Erosion or tectonic activity may later expose the fossil.
What is a reactant? What is a product?
A reactant is the starting substance in a chemical reaction.
A product is a substance formed in a chemical reaction.
Give three examples of a biotic factor limiting a population in an ecosystem.
Predators- if a wolf population increases, it may reduce the population of deer.
Disease- bacteria, viruses, and fungi can reduce the number of individuals.
Food availability- if a food supply is reduced, it’s population may not be able to sustain itself.
How can predators affect which animals survive and which do not?
Competition for resources causes the population with more advantageous traits to survive better than the others. Competition can also reduce survival and reproduction rates.
Where does the energy in a food chain originally come from?
The energy in a food chain originally comes from the sun.
How does relative dating help determine the age of fossils?
Relative dating determines whether a fossil formed before or after another fossil. It compares positions in rock layers but does not give an exact age.
What are the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis?
Inputs: water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight
Outputs: Oxygen and glucose/sugar
What are abiotic factors? List 5 examples.
Abiotic factors are the nonliving parts of an ecosystem. Examples: water, oxygen, rocks, nutrients, sunlight, temperature, wind, etc.
What is a producer?
organisms (like plants) that make their own food using sunlight.
What is biodiversity and how can it be increased?
Biodiversity is the variety of different living organisms in a particular area. Biodiversity can be increased by protecting habitats, reducing pollution, and conserving natural resources.
What are trace fossils? Give an example.
Trace fossils are evidence of an organism’s activity, not the organism itself.
Example: a worm burrow or a footprint.
What is cellular respiration? Where does it take place?
The process by which cells use oxygen to produce energy from food. Sugar inside the cell is broken down using oxygen. The breaking down of the sugar creates energy. It takes place in the mitochondria of the cell.
Give three examples of limited abiotic resources that could affect a population in an ecosystem.
Lack of sunlight can affect population growth and health. Oxygen levels, temperature, soil quality, etc.
What is a consumer?
organisms that eat other organisms for energy.
How does higher biodiversity affect an ecosystem’s ability to recover after a disturbance?
Higher biodiversity makes an ecosystem more resilient, allowing it to recover more quickly after a disturbance.
What are amber fossils? Give an example.
Amber fossils are organisms trapped and preserved in hardened tree resin.
Example: an insect trapped in amber.
What are the products of photosynthesis that are used as starting materials in cellular respiration?
Sugar and Oxygen
What is the difference between an ecosystem and a community?
An ecosystem contains abiotic factors where a community contains only biotic.
What is a decomposer?
organisms that break down dead organisms and waste.
How do living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) factors influence biodiversity?
Biotic factors like predators and competition, and abiotic factors like climate, water, and soil, both influence the types and number of species that can live in an ecosystem.
What are carbonized fossils? Give an example.
Carbonized fossils form when pressure leaves a thin carbon film of the organism.
Example: a plant leaf fossil.