Relationships and Cycles of Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Chapter Problems

Introduction to Biomes and Ecosystems

Class Work

* For this section, there is an accompanying worksheet. (Biome Research WS)

  1. What is the biosphere?
  2. Define population.
  3. What are communities?

Homework

  1. Define biome.
  2. Define ecosystem.
  3. Define habitat.
  4. What do you consider to be your habitat?
  5. Describe your ecosystem.
  6. Which biome do you live in?

Ecosystems

Class Work

  1. Define an ecosystem
  2. What are biotic factors? List the 5 main biotic factors.
  3. What are abiotic factors? Give 5 examples of abiotic factors.
  4. What is the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs? Explain.

Homework

  1. What are the 6 processes all living things perform?
  2. Give two examples of biotic factors in your ecosystem.
  3. Give two examples of abiotic factors in your ecosystem.
  4. What are the three types of heterotrophs?

Competition of Resources

Class Work

  1. What are the basic needs of an animal?
  2. What are the basic needs of plant?
  3. Define “predator” and “prey” and give an example of each.
  4. What might happen if a predator is removed from an ecosystem?
  5. What are invasive species? How do they impact the local ecosystems?
  6. How do adaptations help species? Give two examples.

Homework

  1. How are the needs of plants different than those of animals?
  2. Describe the competition of resources within a food web.
  3. What can happen to an ecosystem when a new predator is introduced?
  4. Give an example of an anatomical adaptation.
  5. Give an example a behavioral adaptation.

Balance Within an Ecosystem

Class Work

  1. Define symbiotic relationship. Give an example of one.
  2. Define symbiosis.
  3. What is mutualism? Give an example.

Homework

  1. How do plants and animals both rely on each other?
  2. Describe how organisms within an ecosystem are connected.
  3. Define parasitism

Energy in Food Webs

Class Work

  1. Explain the transfer of energy and nutrients in a food chain.
  2. Define atoms.
  3. What role does photosynthesis play in food webs?
  4. Define adecomposer. Explain its role in food webs.

Homework

  1. Name the three categories of organisms that make up a food chain.
  2. Describe the difference between a food chain and a food web.
  3. Explain the flow of energy within a food web.
  4. List two reasons why decomposition is necessary in an ecosystem.

Answer Key

Introduction to Biomes and Ecosystems

Class Work

  1. Biosphere refers to the entire living world.
  2. Population is group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
  3. Communities are populations of organisms that interact with each other within an ecosystem.

Homework

  1. Biome is a geographic area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it
  2. Ecosystem is a community of living and nonliving things that interact in the same area.
  3. Habitat is the specific place or environment within an ecosystem where animals and plants live or grow.
  4. Answers will vary; should provide a reasonable answer of their habitat
  5. Answers will vary; should provide a reasonable answer of their ecosystem (forest, plains, mountains, etc)
  6. Answers will vary; should identify the correct biome.

Ecosystems

Class Work

  1. Ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
  2. Biotic factors are living things; plants, animals, bacteria, fungus and protists.
  3. Abiotic factors are nonliving things; water, soil, air, minerals, rocks, etc.
  4. Autotrophs are able to produce their own energy through photosynthesis and heterotrophs rely on consuming other organisms to acquire their energy.

Homework

  1. All living things get energy/nutrients, use energy, grow, reproduce, get rid of waste and respond to the environment.
  2. Answers will vary; should include two relevant living organisms.
  3. Answers will vary; should include two relevant nonliving things.
  4. Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores

Competition of Resources

Class Work

  1. The basic needs of an animal are habitat, air, water and energy
  2. The basic needs of plant are water, access to light, minerals and attraction of animals/pollinators.
  3. Answers will vary, should include a specific example of one animal hunting another.
  4. Removal of a predator from an area can lead to a change in the balance of the ecosystem. Other species will often fill the niche or void left.
  5. Invasive species are non-native species that are introduced into a new ecosystem. This can disrupt the ecosystem by dominating the native species' habitat and/or causing competition for food sources.
  6. Adaptations help species live in a particular place or environment.

Homework

  1. Plants need light and to attract other animals to pollinate or spread their seeds. Animals are not dependent on another organism to reproduce.
  2. Organisms within a food web compete for resources to increase their change of survival and ability to reproduce.
  3. Introduction of a new predator can negatively impact existing organisms and alter the ecosystem.
  4. Anatomical adaptations are changes in physical structure such as fur, large beaks, webbed feed or claws.
  5. Behavioral adaptation are things organisms do to survive such as migration, hibernation or camouflage.

Balance Within an Ecosystem

Class Work

  1. Symbiotic relationship is an interaction between two different species within the same ecosystem. Examples will vary.
  2. Symbiosis is a relationship where two or more organisms depend upon each other for resources.
  3. Mutualism is the way two different species exist in a relationship where they both benefit.

Homework

  1. Plants rely on the CO2 released by animals while the animals need the oxygen given off from plants to survive.
  2. Organisms within an ecosystem rely on each other to either produce or obtain energy.
  3. Parasitism is a relationship between two different species in which one organism, the parasite, benefits and the other, the host, is harmed in some way.

Energy in Food Webs

Class Work

  1. Energy and matter are transferred from the producers (solar energy into plants) to consumers (organism eating plants) to decomposers (returning nutrients to the soil that are absorbed by plants).
  2. Atoms are the smallest particle of an element.
  3. Photosynthesis is the conversion of energy into stores energy for later use. Through this process energy is introduced to the food web. Organisms are dependent upon plants as a source of energy.
  4. Decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, break down animal waste as well as dead plants and animals into atoms that recombine into different molecules and nutrients. This both enriches the soil for new plants (producers) to grow, and keeps waste from piling up within an ecosystem.

Homework

  1. Producers, consumers and decomposers
  2. A food chain shows the transfer of energy/nutrients from one organisms to another in a linear fashion. Food webs display the series of interactions among organisms within the same ecosystem.
  3. Energy in food webs flows from the bottom up from the producers to the consumers. It is then recycled through the decomposers. Consumers are often also producers for other organisms.
  4. Decomposition is important because it enriches the soil for new plants (producers) to grow, and keeps waste from piling up within an ecosystem.

6th Grade PSIEcosystems