7th Grade Science 2014 Spring Semester Exam Review (over units 5-7)
Unit 5
7.11A Examine organisms or their structures such as insects or leaves and use dichotomous keys for identification. (Supporting Standard)
Study examples (especially of insects/leaves) where you used a dichotomous key for identification
7.5A Recognize that radiant energy from the Sun is transformed into chemical energy (glucose) through the process of photosynthesis. (Review your notes on photosynthesis and respiration)
7.7C Demonstrate and illustrate forces that affect motion in everyday life such as emergence of seedlings, turgor pressure, and geotropism.
7.13A Investigate how organisms respond to external stimuli found in the environment such as phototropism and fight or flight.
7.13B Describe and relate responses in organisms that may result from internal stimuli such as wilting in plants and fever or vomiting in animals that allow them to maintain balance (homeostasis, stability).
Vocabulary – to review draw a picture to represent each of the following
Geotropism - Plant’s response to gravity
Phototropism - Plant’s response to light
Turgor Pressure - Causes a plant to stand upright (good turgor pressure) or wilt (poor pressure)
Photosynthesis - How organisms (plants) make glucose
Respiration - How a plant makes energy
Unit 6
7.10B Describe how biodiversity contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem. (Supporting Std.)
Biodiversity (variety of plant and animal life) contributes to the sustainability (ability to maintain itself, survive changes) of an ecosystem because when an ecosystem changes, hopefully there will be some organisms that possess adaptations or genetic variations (from sexual reproduction) enabling their species, or some of their species, to survive. Example: The biodiversity of a rainforest is greater than that of a desert or tundra. Each has a different kinds of plant and animal life with adaptations to survive but there is a greater variety of life in the rainforest.
7.5C Diagram the flow of energy through living systems, including food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. (Supporting Standard)
Each level of an energy pyramid is called a trophic level. Autotrophs (ex. plants) are at the first trophic level, the producer level. In an energy pyramid, roughly 10% of the food energy at any trophic level is transferred up to the next trophic level. The other 90% escapes to the environment, ex. sweat, feces, urine, body respiration, release of heat, etc. Biomes vary in the amount biomass produced at the producer level or first trophic level. The biomass (mass of living matter) in a desert ecosystem is much less than the amount of biomass in a tropical rainforest.
Vocabulary
Consumer - An organism that eats
Producer - An organism that undergoes photosynthesis to make its own food
Decomposer - An organism that uses dead organisms to make nutrients for plants
Scavenger - An organism that seeks out dead consumers to eat
Omnivore - An organism that eats producers and consumers
7.5B Demonstrate and explain the cycling of matter within living systems such as in the decay of biomass in a compost bin.
- Decomposition is when substances are broken down back into simple substances. Nutrients (Nitrogen) are added to the soil. These nutrients are recycled by producers for food and growth. Examples of decomposers include bacteria, red worms, and fungi.
Basically, decomposer break large molecules into simpler ones that plants recycle for growth.
7.10C Observe, record, and describe the role of ecological succession such as in a microhabitat of a garden with weeds. (Supporting Standard)
Vocabulary-you must understand these terms. You will be given scenarios and must know which one of these they represent
Ecological Succession - The process of change in an ecosystem
Pioneer Species - Moss, Lichen, Algae(first species to appear-ex. prairie lupine after Mt. St. Helen)
Climax Community - A biodiverse, balanced ecosystem
Secondary Succession - The regrowth of an ecosystem after a disaster
(Secondary think Soil = life will return quicker)
Primary Succession - The growth of an ecosystem on new land (ex: new land from lava flow)
(Primary think Pre-soil = rock, it will take longer to recover
Helpful test hint: don’t let the term dry land confuse you if it is talking about primary succession
7.10A Observe and describe how different environments, including microhabitats in schoolyards
and biomes, support different varieties of organisms. (Remember the microhabitat under the rock – the environment and plant and animals were different from the surrounding area)
7.8A Predict and describe how the different types of catastrophic events impact ecosystems such as floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes.
- In a natural area (undisturbed by man), if the area is disturbed by a fire but the climate remains stable, an ecosystem similar to the original is likely to be reestablished.
- Some of our plants bloomed early this year because of the unusually warm weather, then we had a freeze. Luckily, it only lasted one afternoon. If the freeze lasted a couple of days what would happen to the plants that bloomed early?
- Would clay erode as quickly as sand?
Unit 7
Vocabulary
Ecoregion - An area with similar climate and organisms
Erosion –Rock/soil being moved
Sediment - A small piece of rock, like sand
Weathering –Rock/soilbreaking down
Deposition – Rock/soilbeing dropped
Review folder notes
7.8C Model the effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed. (Supporting Standard)
-What would be the effect on groundwater and surface water of someone having a car that leaks oil and leaves a large oil spill on the pavement?
7.7A Contrast situations where work is done with different amounts of force to situations where no work is done such as moving a box with a ramp and without a ramp, or standing still. (Supporting Standard)
Review your graded papers and folder notes.
How do you know when work is done or not?
How do simple machines help make work easier?
Know the formula and units to use to be able to calculate work