Biotic vs. Abiotic
These are the living parts of an ecosystem.
biotic factors
Organisms that make their own food using sunlight.
producers
Preserved remains or traces of organisms from long ago.
fossils
Cutting down forests is an example of this human activity.
deforestation
A role an organism plays in its ecosystem.
a niche
Water, sunlight, and soil are examples of these.
abiotic factors
Animals that eat plants.
herbivores
This type of fossil forms when an organism leaves an imprint in mud or rock.
a mold fossil
Trash and chemicals entering water systems is called this.
pollution
When two organisms need the same resource, this happens.
competition
A cactus storing water to survive in the desert is interacting with this type of factor.
an abiotic factor
This shows multiple food chains connected together.
a food web
Fossils provide evidence of this about organisms from the past.
how they lived (or what they looked like)
Protecting land and animals to prevent harm is called this.
conservation
A relationship where both organisms benefit.
mutualism
A rabbit eating grass is an example of interaction between these two types of factors.
biotic and biotic factors
When a hawk eats a snake that ate a mouse, energy is being transferred through this.
a food chain
This type of scientist studies fossils.
a paleontologist
Building cities can cause this to animal homes.
habitat destruction
If one species disappears, this can happen to the food web.
it becomes unbalanced (or disrupted)
Removing sunlight from an ecosystem would directly affect this process in plants.
photosynthesis
If all producers disappeared, this would happen to consumers in the ecosystem.
they would not survive (or populations would decrease)
Fossils found in layers of rock can tell us this about Earth’s history.
how Earth has changed over time
Humans reducing, reusing, and recycling helps ecosystems by doing this.
reducing waste (or protecting resources)
The movement of energy from the Sun to producers to consumers is called this.
energy flow