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Ecosystem Vocabulary. Interactions in Ecosystems. Our goals for this unit. I will be able to recognize consumers, producers, and decomposers. I will be able to recognize how changes in populations effect the balance of an ecosystem.
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Our goals for this unit • I will be able to recognize consumers, producers, and decomposers. • I will be able to recognize how changes in populations effect the balance of an ecosystem. • I will be able to recognize carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. • I will be able to recognize different types of ecosystems and the organisms living in them. • I will be able to analyze both positive and negative effects on ecosystems. • I will be able to explain how a food chain and food web interact. • I will be able to order animals in a food web/food chain.
Ecosystem • Short for “ecological system” • Includes all of the living and nonliving organisms existing together in a particular area • Complex set of relationships among the living resources, habitats, and residents of an area; includes plants, trees, animals, fish, birds, micro-organisms, water, soil, and people
Niche • The role of an organism in its habitat
Habitat • The natural environment where an organism lives
Symbiosis • A close, long lasting relationship between two species
Population • All the members of the same type of organism living in the same ecosystem
Predator • An animal that hunts and eats other animals
Prey • An animal that is hunted and eaten by a predator
Extinction • The dying out of all the members of a species
Endangered Species • A species that is close to extinction
Pollution • The addition of harmful things to the environment
Threatened Species • A species that is close to becoming endangered
Food Chain • The description of how energy in an ecosystem flows from one organism to another
Food Web • The description of all the food chains in an ecosystem
Producer • An organism that uses the Sun’s energy to make its own food
Consumer • An organism that eats other organisms
Different types of consumers • Carnivore- An animal that eats other animals • Herbivore- An animal that eats only plants • Omnivore- An animal that eats both plants and animals
LEVELs OF cONSUMERS • Primary consumer- an animal that gets all its energy from plants (herbivore) • Secondary consumer- an animal that eats primary consumers (carnivore) • Tertiary consumer- an animal usually at or near the top of the food chain; eat other consumers (carnivores or omnivores)
Decomposer • An organism that breaks down dead plants and animals into simpler materials that enrich the soil
Energy Pyramid • Shows how energy moves to each level of an ecosystem
Test Prep • Which would have the same effect on a zebra population as increasing the number of lions in the habitat? • The grass-eating insects die from disease. • No fires occur during the dry season. • Antelopes and wildebeests move into the area. • Trees are uprooted during a summer storm.
Test Prep • A cat eats a mouse. Which is the cat? • Parasite • Population • Predator • Prey
Test Prep • A tick is an animal that takes blood from its host. Which type of symbiosis does this describe? • Commensalism • Mutualism • Niche • Parasitism
Test Prep • Two species of birds share an island and depend on the same food source. Which would likely happen if food became scarce? • The birds would all fly away. • Both birds would become extinct. • The island’s bird population would decrease. • The smallest bird species would become extinct.
Test prep • Which of these is a predator/prey relationship? • A mouse eats a seed. • A plant gets energy from the Sun. • A spider eats a cricket. • An owl uses a cactus for a home.
Test prep • Which is a role of lions in an ecosystem? • Lions help keep the population of trees under control. • Lions help keep the population of zebras under control. • Lions help keep the population of wolves under control. • Lions help keep the population of grasses under control.
Test Prep • A town used pesticides to control mosquitoes in the • area. Scientists later observed that the population of • one type of bat had decreased. Which is the BEST • conclusion you can draw from this information? • People overhunted the bats. • This type of bat ate mosquitoes. • The bats’ habitat was destroyed. • The bats died from disease spread by the mosquitoes.
Test Prep • The zebra mussel was introduced into a lake ecosystem. Within a few years, the zebra mussel population soared, and it showed no sign of declining. Which conclusion can you draw? • The mussels will soon become extinct. • The mussels are not adapted to freshwater. • The mussels play a vital role in the lake’s ecosystem. • The mussels have no natural predators in the lake.
Test Prep • In the last several years, the number of rabbits in a • Mississippi forest has remained the same. Which of the • following would MOST LIKELY cause the number of rabbits • to decrease? • Plant more tress in a forest. • Increase the size of the rabbits’ habitat. • Increase the number of decomposers in the habitat. • Introduce carnivores, such as hawks and bobcats, into the habitat.
