Ecosystem Basics
What do we call a place where living and nonliving things interact with each other?
An ecosystem.
What word describes the living parts of an ecosystem, like plants, animals, and tiny organisms?
Biotic
What three things do plants need for photosynthesis?
Sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
Name one way plants help stop soil from washing or blowing away.
Roots hold the soil in place so it doesn’t wash or blow away
Give one example of how energy from the Sun affects a nonliving part of an ecosystem.
Sunlight affects temperature. (It makes areas warmer.)
Name two kinds of ecosystems from the list you learned (any two).
Examples: desert, arctic, grassland, wetland, forest, freshwater, ocean. (Any two)
What are abiotic parts of an ecosystem? Give two examples.
Abiotic means nonliving things in an ecosystem. Examples: water, air, soil, sunlight, temperature.
What two important things does photosynthesis make that other living things need?
Oxygen and sugar (a type of food for the plant).
Name two ways humans depend on plants.
Examples: we use plants for food, building materials, clothing, paper, medicine, fuel, and oxygen. (Any two)
Name two things about an ecosystem that can change how many different kinds of organisms live there.
Examples: climate, location, size, kinds of plants, how complex the ecosystem is.
Name two nonliving (abiotic) parts of an ecosystem and explain how one of them affects living things.
Abiotic (nonliving) things include: water, air, soil, sunlight, temperature.
Example: Water affects how well plants grow, and that affects animals that eat those plants.
Explain how a change in one abiotic factor, like temperature, could affect an animal population.
Example: If the temperature gets hotter, more water may evaporate. This can hurt plants, and then animals that eat those plants may have less food
What plant pigment absorbs the sunlight needed for photosynthesis?
Chlorophyll.
Explain how plants and animals (including people) depend on each other for the gases needed for breathing and photosynthesis.
Plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Animals take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. They help each other by trading the gases each one needs.
Compare two ecosystems (like a desert and a wetland). How are they different in water and number of plants?
Desert: very little water, fewer kinds of plants.
Wetland: lots of water, many kinds of plants.
Name three things we can use to describe an ecosystem.
Examples: climate, size, kinds of plants, kinds of animals, location.
What do decomposers do in an ecosystem, and how do they help the soil?
Decomposers break down dead things and return nutrients to the soil, helping new plants grow.
A student wants to prove that a plant gives off oxygen. What is one easy experiment or observation they could do?
Put a water plant under bright light and watch for bubbles forming (the bubbles are oxygen). You can also collect the bubbles in a test tube.
Name two plants that are sacred to Indigenous People and Métis peoples from the list you learned.
Sage, sweetgrass, cedar, tobacco. (Any two)
Give two responsible actions people can take to protect ecosystems and help slow climate change.
Examples: protect habitats, plant native plants, reduce pollution, use less fossil fuel, help with conservation projects.
Explain why wetlands, oceans, and forests are good at storing greenhouse gases, and how that helps protect Earth’s climate.
Wetlands, oceans, and forests store carbon in plants, soil, and water. This keeps greenhouse gases out of the air, which helps stop Earth from getting too warm.
Describe five parts of a simple pond ecosystem (three living, two nonliving) and explain one direct interaction and one indirect interaction between them.
Example pond parts:
Biotic: algae, fish, frogs
Abiotic: water, sunlight
Direct interaction example: Plants give oxygen/food to fish.
Indirect interaction example: Sunlight helps plants grow, which affects how much food frogs can find.
Explain why finding starch in a plant shows that photosynthesis has happened.
Photosynthesis makes sugar, and plants often store extra sugar as starch. If a plant tests positive for starch with iodine, that means it made sugar through photosynthesis.
Explain what offering tobacco means and why learning about these cultural practices matters when we study ecosystems.
Offering tobacco shows respect, balance, and giving back to the land. Learning about these practices helps us understand and respect local cultures when we study ecosystems.
Describe a simple model or class activity that could show how changing one abiotic factor (like how much water there is) can change how many species live in an ecosystem.
Example model: Create small “ecosystems” with different amounts of water. Watch how plants and insects do over time. Fewer species will survive when there isn’t enough water.