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Vocabulary
What are some parts of an ecosystem?
How do organisms interact in ecosystems?
How do ecosystems change?
How do humans impact ecosystems?
100
What is a habitat?
A habitat is a place that provides all the things an organism needs to live/survive: food, water, shelter.
100
What makes up an ecosystem? Give an example of one.
An ecosystem is all the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things in an area and how they interact with one another. An example of an ecosystem could be the desert, or even a our classroom!
100
Some animals in an ecosystem must hunt other organisms to fill their energy needs. One organism is helped in this type of relationships. Describe the difference between a predator and prey.
A predator is an animal that hunts and eats another animal. A prey is any animal that gets hunted by others for food.
100
Fill in the blank. Environments change naturally as ______________ change.
Resources.
100
What is pollution and give one example of it.
Pollution is any substance that damages the environment. Ex: Chemicals that people may use ending up in rivers/ocean, dumping trash that cannot be broken down, cars and factories put gases that cause harm into the air.
200
What is a niche?
An organism's niche is the ROLE that an organism has in an ecosystem (ex: role of a hunter in an ecosystem).
200
Give examples of abiotic and biotic factors in an ecosystem.
Abiotic factors(can include): air, water, soil, temperature,and sunlight. Biotic factors (can include): animals, plants, and any living organism.
200
What determines an organisms energy role?
How an organism gets its energy, or food.
200
Give an example of how an environment can change slowly.
Examples of slow changes: climate in a region may become drier and drier, continents can change their position, rocks are slowly broken down.
200
What is a nonnative species? and what might happen if a new species eats the food and takes the space of native species in an ecosystem?
A nonnative species is a plant or animal that does not grow naturally in an ecosystem. If a new species eats the food and takes the space of a native species, the native species might die or have to move.
300
What is competition?
Competition is the struggle of organisms for the same limited resources.
300
What is the difference between a population and a community?
A population is a group of organisms of ONE species that live in an area at the same time. DIFFERENT POPULATIONS make up a community.
300
Explain the role of a producer in an ecosystem.
Producers make their own food for energy. Most producers use energy from the sun to make their food, or use chemicals from the environment for energy. The food they make is often a source of energy for other animals.
300
Give at least 3 examples of natural events that can quickly change an environment
Hurricanes, floods, fires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, etc.
300
Choose the best fit answer: Nonnative animal populations can grow rapidly in a new ecosystem because: a. they have no competition for resources in the ecosystem. b. nonnative species are always at the top of food chains. c. predators in the ecosystem are not used to hunting them. d. they are producers
c. predators in the ecosystem are not used to hunting them.
400
What is conservation?
Conservation is an attempt to preserve or protect an environment from harmful changes.
400
How are some animals that live in the tundra able to survive? (what adaptations might they need/have)
Animals in the tundra have adaptations that help them survive the cold. Most animals have thick fur.
400
Describe the role of decomposers in an ecosystem.
Decomposers are organisms that get their energy by breaking down wastes and dead organisms. During this process, they return materials back to the environment. Other organisms may reuse these materials for their own needs.
400
Changes that are harmful for some organisms may be beneficial for others. How would a forest fire ALSO help organisms in a forest?
A forest fire clears away dead and dying plant matter, making room for new plants to grow. It also returns nutrients to soil in the form of ashes.
400
What is regulation? Why is it important for governments to put certain regulations on things?
Regulation is a limit on how many animals a person can hunt and fish. It is one way that governments attempt to practice conservation- preserving the environment from harmful changes.
500
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food CHAIN is a series of steps by which energy moves from one type of living thing to another (one direction). A food WEB is a diagram that COMBINES many food chains into one picture. Both use arrows to show the energy relationship among organisms.
500
List 2 animals that live in the following ecosystems: Coral Reef, Tropical Rain Forest, Desert, and Tundra
(Answers may vary) Coral Reef- clown fish,anemones, sponges Rain Forest- butterflies, tree frogs, monkeys, parrots Desert-coyotes, tortoises, lizards, rattlesnakes Tundra- weasels,polar bears, foxes
500
Describe the role of consumers in an ecosystem AND name the three classifications of consumers and what they eat.
Consumers are organisms that depend on producers/or other consumers for energy, they cannot make their own food. Herbivores- eat only plants Carnivores- eat only other animals Omnivores-eat both plants and animals.
500
Name one way organisms can alter their environment and one way humans can change the environment.
Organisms can change an environment as they feed, grow, and build their homes (Ex: the locusts). Plants affect the quality of the air for the entire planet. Humans can change the environment when they plant crops,build dams for energy, fish, clear forest, build buildings and roads, etc.
500
If humans began using large amounts of pesticides in nearby areas, explain how this would affect the following food chain: tree>grasshopper>lizard>bird>fox
Pesticides on the plants/tree would reduce the grasshopper population. The remaining grasshoppers would have less competition for food and the trees would grow more because there would be less grasshoppers eating them. With fewer grasshoppers, lizards would have more competition for food and some might die. The same thing would happen to the birds that eat the lizards, and for the foxes that eat the birds. The entire food chain would be affected by the use of pesticides.