Download Ecology - Effingham County Schools

Ecology
Name___________________________
What is ecology?
Write the term that best completes each statement in the space provided.
1. The study of the relationship between living things and their environments is _______________________.
2. Everything that surrounds a living thing and acts upon it is its ____________________________________.
3. Plants use sunlight, water, minerals and carbon dioxide to grow and make _____________ for energy.
4. Omnivores are animals that eat _____________________________.
5. Water and soil are considered _______________ factors.
6. Plants and animals are considered ______________ factors.
7. Herbivores eat _________________________.
8. Carnivores eat _________________________.
What is an ecosystem?
PART A Circle the term that best completes each statement.
1. All the populations that live in a certain place and can interact with one another make up
(a community / an ecosystem).
2. A group of the same kind of organisms living in a certain place is a (population / community).
3. A group of communities interacting with one another and the nonliving things in an environment make up
an (ecology / ecosystem).
4. A lake or river can be (an ecosystem / a community).
5. When organisms die, their bodies (produce energy / decompose).
6. (Living / Nonliving) parts of an environment include water, air, and soil.
7. The (sun / air) is the source of energy in most ecosystems.
8. Energy is transferred from the Sun to (producers / consmers) that make their own food.
9. The materials needed by organisms in an ecosystem are (recycled / wasted).
10. An ecosystem is a (self-supporting / unsupported) unit.
What are habitats and niches?
Answer the following questions.
1. What is a habitat? ______________________________________________________________________
2. Name four things that a habitat provides for an organism. _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. What is a niche? _______________________________________________________________________
4. What kind of relationship exists when two organisms share the same niche? ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Name three organisms that share the same habitat.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
What are biomes?
Write true if the statement is true. If the statement is false, change the underlined term to make the statement
true.
____________________ 1. A biome that has permanently frozen soil is the desert.
____________________ 2. A large region of Earth with particular plant and animal communities is called a
taiga.
____________________ 3. The average weather in an area over a long period of time is the area’s climate.
____________________ 4. The biome, which is made up largely of trees that shed their leaves in the fall, is
the coniferous forest biome.
____________________ 5. Pine trees are a feature of the coniferous forest biome.
____________________ 6. The tropical rain forests are located in regions near the equator.
____________________ 7. A biome that has hot-to-moderate temperatures and very little rainfall is the
tropical rain forest biome.
____________________ 8. Large herds of animals often are found grazing in deserts.
Biome Name
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Temp. & Rainfall
Major Feature
Major Plant/Animal Adaptations
Varies depending on depth Largest aquatic biome,
Phytoplankton float on
high salinity
surface
Dry and Cold; longest
Permafrost, no trees
Grow close to the ground/
winters
thick fur and layers of fat
2 seasons, cold winters,
Mountains, coniferous
Cone shaped trees with
cool summers
forests
needles/ thick fur and fat
4 seasons, near oceans
Broad leaves on trees
Lose leaves to prevent
that change colors
freezing/ migration
No Seasons. Hot. Humid.
Near equator, poor soil,
Fast growth/ camouflage,
Wettest biome.
biodiversity; tall trees
warning coloration
Hot. Wet season and dry
Grasses, wildfires,
Grow from roots/ graze in
season.
grazing herds
herds, strong running legs
DRY. Can be hot or cold
Driest of all biomes
Thorns no leaves/ nocturnal
Varies depending on
speed of water
Smallest aquatic biome,
low salinity
Roots can be submerged in
water/
What are producers and consumers?
Match each term in Column B with its description in Column A. Write the letter of the correct term in the
space provided.
Column A
Column B
______ 1. organism that makes its own food
a. producer
______ 2. animal that eats dead organisms
b. secondary consumer
______ 3. animal that eats plant-eating animals
c. decomposer
______ 4. organism that breaks down the wastes or
d. tertiary consumer
remains of other organisms
e. scavenger
______ 5. animal that eats meat-eating animals
f. algae and phytoplankton
______ 6. main producers in lakes and oceans
g. omnivore
______ 7. consumer that eats only plants
h. herbivore
______ 8. consumer that eats only animals
i. carnivore
______ 9. consumer that eats both plants and animals
What are food chains and food webs?
PART A Answer the following questions about the diagram.
1. What is the diagram called? _______________________________
2. What does the diagram show? _____________________________________________________________
3. Which organisms in the diagram are primary consumers? ________________________________________
4. Which organisms in the diagram are tertiary consumers? ________________________________________
5. Which organism is the producer? ___________________________________________________________
PART B Complete the following.
1. What is always the first link in a food chain? ___________________________________________________
2. What is the last link in a food chain? ____________________________________________
3. Why is there less energy available at the last link than at the first link in a food chain? __________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What do the arrows in a food chain show? ____________________________________________________
PART B Study the ecosystem shown below. Then, answer the questions that follow.
1. List eight biotic factors and four abiotic factors in the ecosystem.
Biotic factors:
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Abiotic factors:
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
What are energy pyramids?
Write the term that best completes each statement in the space provided.
1. In each link of a food chain, only a fraction of the available _____________________ in the food chain is transferred
to the next level.
2. A diagram that shows how energy is lost at each level of a food chain is called an ____________________.
3. All of the energy in an energy pyramid comes from the _______________________________________.
4. In an ecosystem, there are far more producers than there are __________________________________.
5. At the top of the energy pyramid, the consumers are called ___________________________________.
6. Fewer organisms can be supported at each level because there is less ___________________________.
In the space provided, draw an energy pyramid that includes the organisms listed in the box. Identify each kind
of organism as a producer, a primary consumer, a secondary consumer, or a tertiary consumer.
ORGANISMS
algae
seagull
clam
fish
How do living things interact?
Circle the term that best completes each statement.
1. Resources in an ecosystem are (abundant / limited).
2. (Predation / Competition) is the struggle among organisms for resources in an ecosystem.
3. In competition, animals that are better adapted to conditions in the habitat are (more / less) likely to survive and
reproduce.
4. A relationship in which an organism kills and eats another organism is called (competition / predation).
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
An organism that kills and eats another organism is called (a predator / prey).
(Symbiosis / Competition) is a close relationship between two organisms from different species that may help or
harm one of the organisms.
Prey species (can / cannot) benefit from predation.
Predators are (less / more) likely to catch, kill, and eat weak or unhealthy animals than strong, healthy ones.
An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism is called (a predator / prey).
What are symbiotic relationships?
Write true if the statement is true. If the statement is false, change the underlined term to make the statement
true.
____________________________ 1. Mutualism is a close relationship between two organisms that may
help or harm them.
____________________________ 2. There are three types of symbiotic relationships.
____________________________ 3. Commensalism is a relationship between two different kinds of
organisms that benefits both of them.
____________________________ 4. A lichen is an example of mutualism.
____________________________ 5. Parasitism is a relationship between two different kinds of organisms
in which one benefits and the other is unaffected.
____________________________ 6. Parasitism is a relationship between two different kinds of organism in
which one lives in or on the other and causes it harm.
____________________________ 7. The organism that a parasite feeds on is called a host.
____________________________ 8. Ticks, fleas, and leeches are examples of hosts.
____________________________ 9. Parasites capture and kill their prey before eating it.
Relationships in an Ecosystem
PART A
Organism Pair- Is it Mutualism Commensalism or Parasitism?
1. Remora fish feed on the remains of a shark’s prey. This neither helps nor harms the shark. This is an
example of _____________________
2. Clownfish live inside of a sea anemone’s tentacles for protection. In return the clownfish keeps the sea
anemone clean. This is an example of _________________________
3. Ticks live on and feed on the blood of a dog. This is an example of _______________________________
4. Spanish moss grows on the branches of trees to gather water and nutrients from the air. This neither helps
nor harms the trees. This is an example of _____________________________
5. Bees gather nectar from flowers to feed their young. As the bees gather the nectar they transfer pollen
from flower to flower helping the flowers reproduce. This is an example of __________________________
6. Tapeworms live and feed on the inside of human intestines. The worms steal food already digested by the
human. This is an example of _____________________________
PART B Classify each description as an example of mutualism (m), commensalism (c), Predation (pr), or
parasitism (pa) by writing the letters in parentheses next to the description.
a. One organism kills and eats the other.
g. One organism lives on or in another organism
b. Organisms weaken or kill their hosts.
causing harm.
c. Bees pollinate flowers as they collect nectar.
h. Wolves feed on caribou.
d. Orchids attach themselves to and grow on trees.
i. One organism benefits and the other is not
e. Diseased or less fit members of a herd are caught
affected.
and eaten.
j. Fleas feed on the blood of a pet dog.
f. Both organisms benefit.
k. Barnacles on the flipper of a whale
RELATIONSHIPS IN AN ECOSYSTEM
PART C Answer the questions in the space provided.
1. Which relationship(s) makes survival of both organisms easier? _________________________________
2. Which relationship(s) makes survival of both organisms more difficult? _____________________________