Science - 4.3 Ecosystems

[4.3] What is an ecosystem?

A place where living and nonliving things interact.

[4.3] What are examples of nonliving factors in an ecosystem?

Sunlight, water, nutrients, soil, and air.

[4.3] What role does the Sun play in an ecosystem?

The Sun provides the energy that drives the ecosystem.

[4.3] Which organisms have the greatest amount of energy in an ecosystem?

Producers.

[4.3] How does energy move through an ecosystem?

From the Sun to producers, then to consumers, and eventually to decomposers.

[4.3] What is a population?

All organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same time.

[4.3] What is a community?

Populations of different species living in the same place at the same time.

[4.3] What is a food chain?

A model showing how energy passes from one organism to another.

[4.3] What do arrows in a food chain show?

The direction that energy flows.

[4.3] What does the arrow in a food chain point toward?

The organism doing the eating.

[4.3] What is a food web?

A model showing interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem.

[4.3] Why are organisms in a community dependent on one another?

They depend on other organisms for survival and resources.

[4.3] What do members of a population compete for?

Resources, mates, and territory.

[4.3] What does it mean when organisms cooperate?

They work together to meet basic needs.

[4.3] What is a habitat?

The place where an organism naturally lives.

[4.3] What does a habitat provide?

Food, water, shelter, and space.

[4.3] What is a niche?

The role or function an organism performs in its community.

[4.3] What does an organism's niche include?

What it eats, what eats it, how it interacts with other organisms, and how it interacts with nonliving factors.

[4.3] Why do organisms with the same need for a resource compete?

They must compete to obtain the limited resource.

[4.3] Can two different types of organisms occupy exactly the same niche?

No. Each type of organism has a specific niche.

[4.3] How can an organism's niche change during its life cycle?

Its diet, habitat, and relationships with other organisms may change.

[4.3] How is a tadpole's niche different from an adult frog's?

Tadpoles live in water, breathe through gills, and are generally herbivores; adult frogs mainly live on land, breathe with lungs, and are carnivores.

[4.3] What is classification?

Organizing organisms or objects into groups based on similarities and differences.

[4.3] Why is classification useful?

It helps scientists understand similarities, differences, and relationships.

[4.3] What is a dichotomous key?

A tool used to classify organisms based on physical characteristics.