Vocabulary
a mixture of sand, silt, clay, rock, and humus (plant and animal remains)
soil
Who uses carbon dioxide to make their food?
Plants!
Name an example of a decomposer.
worm, mushroom, fungus
What is matter?
Anything you can touch or feel.
Carbon dioxide gas moves from the atmosphere and into living things as a part of what process?
a. animals eating plants
b. plants decomposing
c. plants producing food
d. animals absorbing waste
c. plants producing food
a very small life form; especially a bacterium
microbe
What three things do plants need for photosynthesis?
water, sunlight, air (gases in the air like carbon dioxide)
What do decomposers help do?
Decomposers help to break down dead material.
Name an example of something made out of matter.
Examples: desk, water bottle, pet cat, air, flower, etc.
Which of the following best describes the role of decomposers in the cycling of matter?
a. returning nutrients from dead plants and animals to the soil
b. releasing oxygen gas into the atmosphere for animals to breathe
c. using energy from the sun to produce food for plants and animals
d. providing a source of food for plants and animals to eat
a. returning nutrients from dead plants and animals to the soil
actions by one thing have a separate effect on another thing
interactions
What do plants put into the atmosphere that humans breathe in?
oxygen
What do decomposers put back into the soil?
Nutrients!
What is the atmosphere?
the layer of gas surrounding our planet
Liquid water is moved from living things to the environment when animals...
a. eat
b. urinate
c. sleep
d. breathe
b. urinate
Hint: urine is the only liquid thing on the list!
an organism that consumes dead or nonliving biomass without need for internal digestion
decomposer
What is carbon dioxide (CO2)?
a gas in the air
What do the nutrients made by decomposers help to do?
Grow new things
How does matter move from plants to animals?
When plants eat the animals
Matter moves directly from plants to animals when plants are eaten by animals. Matter moves from plants to animals indirectly through...
a. sunlight
b. heat
c. adaptations
d. air
d. air
Hint: plants release oxygen, which humans and animals need to breathe!
any unused or neglected materials that are thrown out
waste
How does carbon dioxide move into living things?
Plants use it for photosynthesis (to make food), and the plant is a living thing.
How do decomposers help to "cycle" the matter?
They help to reuse matter from dead things and turn it into new living things.
Extra credit! Write your answer on the back. How do organisms return matter to the environment?
When organisms like humans and animal die, their remains decompose into the ground. This gives the ground nutrients to grow new things. Plants push oxygen out that we breathe.
How does the decomposition of a fallen tree contribute to the health of a forest?
a. the smell of decayed matter repels insects and small animals
b. as the tree decays, nutrients cycle to other organisms
c. a large fallen tree can shelter green plants from the sunlight
d. a fallen tree prevents weathering of rock from occuring
b. as the tree decays, nutrients cycle to other organisms
Hint: the dead stuff helps new stuff grow!