Science

SOL 2.5 – Ecosystems

Terms to Know

  • Living Things – things that are alive. They grow and change.
  • Nonliving Things – things that are not alive. They do not grow and change.
  • Surroundings - the things that are around where the animal or plant lives.
  • Survival – the things that the plant or animal have to have to survive (food, shelter, water, and air).
  • Shelter – the place that protects the animal when it sleeps or where lives (tree, cave, coral, etc.).
  • Habitat – the place where animals and plants live naturally.
  • Extinct – when living things die out and none of its kind is found anywhere on Earth. (Example – dinosaurs)
  • Endangered –when living things are in danger of becoming extinct. (Examples – Giant Panda, Tiger, Bald Eagle, and Elephants)
  • Living things are dependent on other living things and their nonliving surroundings for survival.
  • All of the interactions between and among living things and their nonliving surroundings are referred to as a system.
  • Shelter may be living (coral, tree) or nonliving (caves, houses).
  • The habitats of living things, such as forests, grasslands, rivers, and streams, change due to many influences such as fire, floods/droughts, construction (taking trees down), and pollution.
  • Habitats change from season to season.

SEASONS

Winter Spring Summer Fall

Living things can become extinct or endangered because of natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, or droughts.) Humans can cause animals to be endangered or extinct with pollution, hunting, and destroying habitats for new buildings.

In every habitat, there is a food chain. Here is an example of a food chain.

Sun grass mouse snake hawk

The sun is the most important part of the food chain.

Plants are important in habitats. They are also important for humans. They provide us with many useful things! Here are some examples:

  • Oxygen
  • Food/spices
  • Cotton
  • Lumber (wood)
  • Shelter for people and animals
  • Rubber
  • Medicine
  • Paper

Plants also help keep the soil in place so the soil does not wash away.

Plants that grow well in Virginia:

  • Apples
  • Strawberries
  • Peaches
  • Grapes
  • Corn
  • Wood (trees)
  • Wheat
  • Soybeans

In Virginia, there are some plants that will not grow well (oranges, bananas, pineapples) because we do not have the type of weather the plants need.