Life Science 1
An animal that only eats meat
Carnivore
Animal that eats only plants
Herbivore
Animal that eats both plants and animals
Omnivore
An animal that is hunted and eaten by other animals
Prey
An animal that hunts for and eats other animals
Predator
What is an autotroph/producer?
An organism that makes its own food.
What is a heterotroph/consumer?
An organism that cannot make its own food
What is a decomposer?
An organism that breaks down the remains of dead organisms
Give an example of how organisms use camouflage to survive. In your example, state a specific organism and environment.
Answers will vary.
Give an example of an adaptation. State a specific organism, its adaptation and how that adaptation helps it to survive.
Answers will vary
What is an ecosystem?
An area where living organisms interact with each other and nonliving things in the environment
What is a community?
All the living things within an ecosystem
What is a species?
A group of similar organisms that can reproduce more individuals like themselves.
A biome is a part of the world that is characterized by its climate, environment and life. Describe a desert biome's characteristics.
Hot, arid/dry, little to no rainfall/snow, sandy and rocky, most organisms require very little water to survive.
A biome is a part of the world that is characterized by its climate, environment and life. Describe a marine biome's characteristics.
Chiefly oceanwater (saltwater), lots of sunlight in shallow depths, little to no sunlight in deeper depths, fish, coral reefs, aquatic plants, etc.
Flowers --> Flies --> Frogs --> Snakes --> Eagles
What do the arrows in this food chain represent?
The direction of energy transfer between organisms
Use the following food chain to answer the question:
Flowers --> Flies --> Frogs --> Snakes --> Eagles
Let's say that frogs were removed from this food chain. What would happen to the other organisms in the food chain? Why would this happen?
Every organism 'above' frogs would become extinct because if frogs no longer exist, snakes wouldn't be able to eat frogs and they'd die. If snakes become extinct, so would eagles, because eagles would have nothing to eat.
Give an example of an inherited trait. Name a specific organism and specific, inherited trait.
Answers will vary.
What is the difference between an instinct and a learned/acquired behavior?
Instincts are behavioral traits that are passed down from parent to offspring and are not learned. Learned/Acquired behaviors are actions that an organism learns to do as an organism interacts with its environment.
By definition, a niche is defined as the role that each species plays within its particular ecosystem. Give an example of a niche of an organism within a forest ecosystem.
Examples: Trees provide shade/shelter for organisms, bees make honey and pollinate flowers, etc.
A tiger is an example of an endangered species. What can be done to prevent tigers from becoming extinct? (Name 3 strategies/actions to prevent tiger extinction)
Examples: maintain tigers' habitats, pass laws against poaching, donate to animal organizations that help tigers, etc.
What are the similarities/differences between food chains and food webs?
Food chains describe the flow of energy between just a couple of organisms. Food webs are groups of combined food chains that include all of the organisms within an ecosystem. Food chains always go in one, straight line (prey --> predators), whereas food webs can have multiple arrows going in multiple directions.
Monarch butterflies are an example of an organism that migrates. What is migration and why do monarch butterflies migrate?
Migration - An adaptation in which animals move from one place to another for the purpose of survival.
Monarch Butterflies migrate from the western U.S. to Mexico because they cannot survive winters in the western U.S.
Many species of bears hibernate during certain seasons. When do bears typically hibernate (what months/seasons) and why do bears hibernate?
Winter months. Hibernate because of lack of availability of food during winter months. Frozen lakes/rivers = no fish, colder temperature = less prey to eat
The average weight of a male grizzly bear is somewhere between 600 and 700 pounds. What happens to the weight of a grizzly bear as winter approaches, during winter and once it becomes spring?
Gains weight as winter approaches to prepare for hibernation. Loses weight during hibernation and is relatively light once hibernation is over.