Download Life Science Study Guide

Life Science Study Guide
Name_________
1. What are some needs of organisms?
Food, shelter, water, space (carrying capacity) does the area
have enough resources to carry the organism.
Limiting factors – keeps the population from growing beyond a certain
size.
2. What happens to an organism if its needs are not being met?
Animals needs must be met or they will die or have to move to
a new habitat. They can also adapt to the changes but this takes
much time.
The organism's habitat is gone?
Die or move to a new habitat and adapt to the differences.
3. How do people change ecosystems (beneficial and detrimental)?
Beneficial – laws protecting animals, hunting, parks and nature
preserves, & veterinarians.
Detrimental – building shopping plazas, highways, buildings,
mining, hunting & pollution.
4. How do animals change their environment (beneficial and
detrimental)?
Beneficial – earthworms build burrows – passageways to let in
air and water. Also add nutrients to the soil. Corals make new
habitats for other animals, beavers make new habitats for other
animals. Predator/Prey relationship helps keep populations in check.
Detrimental – beavers flood lands destroying animal homes and
cutting down trees. Large animals trample plants. Rabbits, moles
and other animals dig in the soil and change the land.
5. Draw a food web. (Use vocabulary card from notes)
6. Draw and label a food chain. (Use vocabulary card from notes)
7. Explain why there are more producers in an ecosystem than top
consumers.
There are more producers because not very much energy is
passed on to the next level when they are being consumed (10%).
The energy pyramid is not very efficient.
7. Define the following terms.
Producer – plants, they make their own food through the
process of photosynthesis.
Consumer – anything that eats another organism to get energy.
Decomposer – breaks down dead and decaying matter and
adds nutrients to the soil through this process.
Herbivore – only eats plants
Carnivore – only eats meat
Omnivore – eats both plants and meat
8. How can an exotic species effect the environment?
Sometimes there is no change when an exotic species is
introduced. Other times the exotic species has no know natural
predator and can take over a habitat. This can wipe out or harm the
native species that grows there. Examples from class are the zebra
mussels and the kudzu plant.
9. How do adaptations help animals?
An adaptation is anything that can help an animal survive. For
example a cactus has needles. A hawk has sharp talons to help
grasp its prey.
10. Know the important characteristics of the biomes we studied.
(Tundra, Temperate Forest, Cold Desert, Hot Desert, Taiga, and
Grassland)
This test will ask you to use what you know and infer what might
happen. For example if a pesticide runs into a lake and kills the
minnows how might the rest of the lake community be affected.
There will be one 2 point question, two 4 point questions and 18
multiple choice questions.