Which of the following is a producer in a food chain: rabbit, oak tree, or fox?
Oak tree
What is the term for the process by which rocks are broken down into smaller pieces?
Weathering
What are the three states of matter?
Solid, liquid, gas
What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?
Decomposers break down dead plants and animals, recycling nutrients back into the soil.
What is force?
A push or pull on an object
Which type of organism breaks down dead plants and animals into nutrients for the soil?
Decomposers (such as fungi or bacteria)
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions; climate is the long-term average of weather patterns.
What force pulls objects toward the center of the Earth?
Gravity
What is the process by which plants make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide?
Photosynthesis
What happens to the motion of an object if the forces acting on it are balanced?
The object will either remain at rest or continue moving at a constant speed in the same direction
What do you call an organism that hunts and eats other animals?
A predator
What do we call the process that turns liquid water into water vapor?
Evaporation
What type of energy is created when you rub your hands together to warm them up?
Heat/thermal energy
What is an adaptation?
A characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.
What happens when an unbalanced force acts on an object?
The object will accelerate or change direction
What is the main difference between a herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore?
A herbivore eats plants, a carnivore eats animals, and an omnivore eats both plants and animals
What is the process in which water vapor cools and turns back into liquid water?
Condensation
What is the term for energy stored in an object because of its position?
Potential energy
What would likely happen to an ecosystem if a top predator, like a wolf, were removed?
The population of prey animals could increase, disrupting the balance of the ecosystem.
What is the type of energy an object has because it is moving?
Kinetic energy
How do the roots of a plant help it survive?
Roots anchor the plant and absorb water and nutrients from the soil
What are Earth's 4 spheres and what do each of the prefixes mean?
Atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere
Atmos = air
Bio = life
Geo = Earth
Hydro = water
What happens to the motion of an object when an unbalanced force acts on it?
The object changes its motion (accelerates, decelerates, or changes direction)
What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems on Earth?
The Sun
What type of energy does a rubber band have when stretched?
Potential energy