Vocabulary
An animal that eats other living things is a _______
consumer
True or false: an ecosystem has only living things in it.
False- it is composed of living and non-living things
A carnivore is an animal that eats ________
Only other animals
All of the wolves in one ecosystem died out. What likely happened to the rabbit population?
It increased
___________ is an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native
invasive specie
Organisms that help return nutrients to the Earth are called __________
decomposers
List 3 living things in this ecosystem (show desert ecosystem)
Examples: cacti, birds, flowers, snakes, bushes, mice, lizards, beetle, mammals, etc.
What is the first organism in a food chain?
producer
Which of the following is a biotic factor?
A. Climate change
B. Amount of water
C. Invasive specie
D. Soil type
C. invasive specie
What type of organism in a food chain makes composting work?
decomposers
Living things that create their own food using energy from the sun are called _________
producers (do not accept plants)
List 3 non-living things in this ecosystem (show desert ecosystem)
Examples: air, soil, sand, rocks, mountains
A food web shows relationships among living things more accurately than a ____________
food chain
If the sun were completely blocked so that it no longer provided energy to the plants in a lake, what would happen to the remaining life in the lake?
A. Only the animals that eat the plants would die
B. Only the plant would die
C. All of the organisms in the lake would die
D. All of the carnivores would die
C. All of the organisms in the lake would die.
Why do we compost? Give 2 reasons.
Examples: to reduce the amount of waste in landfills, the create nutrient-rich soil, to help reduce climate change
Animals that eat both producers and other consumers are called _________
omnivores
Where does all the energy in an ecosystem come from?
The Sun!
Put these organisms in the correct order of a food chain:
Snake
Rat
Seeds
Hawk
seeds > rat > snake > hawk
Wild hogs are an invasive species. They over populate, dig up the roots to trees, and trample grass and young trees. They eat all types of vegetation including nuts from trees. How would a wild hog be harmful to deer in a wooded area?
Examples: Wild hogs eat too much of the foods that deer eat, Wild hogs take over and destroy the deer’s natural habitat, Wild hogs keep new vegetation from growing and feeding the deer
If there were no decomposers what would most likely happen?
A. Some plants might die due to a shortage of important nutrients.
B. Plants and animals would remain living for a longer period of time
C. Consumers would start producing sunlight.
D. Producers would start eating consumers.
A. Some plants might die due to a shortage of important nutrients.
The loss of energy along a food chain is shown in an _____________
energy pyramid
You are traveling from one ecosystem to another. What can you expect to change?
Example answers: types of plants, animals, climate, soil, number of plants and animals
Describe how energy moves through an ecosystem from a tree to a wolf.
Example answer: The tree produces its own food using energy from the sun. A deer eats the leaves on the tree and gets some of its energy. Then a wolf eats the deer and it gets energy from the deer.
Look at the diagram of the energy pyramid (show energy pyramid).
What would happen to each level of the pyramid if the snake were taken out? Why?
Example answer:
The population of rabbits would increase because its natural predator was taken away. Then the amount of nuts would decrease because there would be more rabbits eating the nuts.
While hiking with your family, you follow a trail that leads past many dead plants. Even the trees seem to be dying. The soil is very dry. What can you infer is happening to the consumers in this area?
If the producers are dying, then the consumers in the area are probably dying as well. The consumers will need to find a new habitat in order to survive.