Energy in Plants
What are the three essential things that plants need to grow and survive?
These materials are needed for photosynthesis, the process of making food for a plant.
What do animals need in order to grow and survive?
Water, oxygen, and food are all needed to grow and survive.
Describe the difference between living and nonliving things. Provide an example of both.
Name one example of an interaction between living things and nonliving things in an environment.
EXAMPLES:
An organism breathing in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide into the air.
An organism drinking, swimming, or fishing in water.
A lizard sunbathing on a large rock.
What is the original source of energy for all organisms?
THE SUN
Do plants need soil? Why or why not?
NO!
As long as they receive water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight, plants are able to grow without soil.
How do organisms use the energy found in food? Describe three different ways energy is used.
They use energy to grow, repair, reproduce, and for all life processes such as moving, staying warm, etc.
What is an environment?
An environment is made up of all the living and nonliving things that surround and affect an organism.
A hawk swoops down and snatches a mouse for its dinner. What relationship is represented in this scenario?
Predator and Prey
The hawk is the predator, the animal hunting and eating another animal, while the mouse is the prey, the animal being eaten.
What is the difference between a producer and consumer?
An organism that makes its own food is called a producer and an organism that obtains energy and matter by feeding on other organisms is a consumer.
Describe the process of photosynthesis. How do plants produce their own food?
What happens when an animal eats a plant or another animal? What does it receive?
Animals receive ENERGY when they eat a plant or another animal. ENERGY is transferred from living thing to living thing in an ecosystem through food.
A raccoon can live in many different places and eat many different types of food. Does it have a narrow or wide niche?
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a community of living things that live and interact in an environment together.
What can plants do that animals cannot do?
Produce their own food!
What waste product do plants create and release?
OXYGEN
They produce oxygen during the process of photosynthesis but release it into the environment as they do not need it to live.
What do the arrows in a food chain represent?
The direction of the flow of energy in a food chain. If the arrow is pointing towards an animal, it means that energy will be transferred to them.
EX: GRASS --> COW
(Energy is transferred from grass to the cow)
What is a habitat? Can an organism survive outside of its habitat?
A habitat is the place where an organism lives and can find everything it needs to survive.
Most animals will struggle to survive outside of their habitats unless they can meet their needs.
What are some limiting factors in an ecosystem?
When it comes to receiving energy, how is a rabbit different than a sunflower?
Rabbits are consumers and must eat other living things to receive their energy. Sunflowers are producers and can make their own food.
During an experiment, one plant receives lots of sunlight and another plant receives no sunlight. After coming back a few weeks later, the scientist has found one plant to be growing well and the other plant drooping. Which plant is which?
Plants need sunlight. The growing plant received sunlight and the plant that did not receive any sunlight is dying.
Can you fill in the missing organism in this food chain?
(ex: sun → ? → gazelle → lion )
Any type of plant/producer that a deer would eat such as grass.
What can happen to a population when competitor population moves into its environment?
For example, what could happen to a population of birds if another competitor population lives in their environment?
There would be more competition and the population would most likely DECLINE.
If water is limited in an ecosystem, how might this limiting factor impact the organisms living there?
Some living things might move to a new ecosystem.
Some living things might die.
Some living things will struggle to get what they need.
Look at the following food chain. How does the ladybug receive energy in this chain?
Sun --> Flower --> Aphid --> Ladybug
The original source of the energy is the sun. It is converted into food by the flower, and when the flower is eaten by the aphid, energy is transferred. Energy is once again transferred when the lady bug eats the aphid.