Ecosystems Study Guide
Where does decayed matter in a food web come from?
Decayed matter comes from dead plants and animals
Explain how plant and animal adaptations can help them survive in their environment.
A bird has webbed feet to help it swim. A tiger's sharp teeth help it to catch food.
Organism's role in the community: Decomposer
Bacteria; Break down wastes and the remains of other organisms
Organism's role in the community: Third-level consumer
Bird; Eat other consumers
Why are decomposers important to the ecosystem? What would happen if there were no decomposers?
Decomposers keep dead matter from "piling up" and restore nutrients to the ecosystem. If there were no decomposers, some plants might die due to a shortage of important nutrients.
Organism's role in the community: First-level consumer
Grasshopper; Use the food that producers make or eat other organisms
What would happen in an ecosystem of some plants or animals in the community increase or decrease?
In a predator/prey relationship, if the fox population was increasing, then the rabbits in the ecosystem would decrease. If the fox population was decreasing in number, then the rabbits would increase.
Describe how living in groups can affect a predator/prey relationship.
Living in groups can attract predators.
Organism's role in the community: Second-level consumer
Lizard; Eat other consumers
Organism's role in the community: Producer
Plant; make food
What would happen if there was a reduction in the amount of sunlight in an ecosystem?
Plants would not be able to make food for themselves.
How would changes to the environment affect a community of organisms? (For example, if there was all of a sudden lots of rain in a normally dry area, or a sudden drop in temperature in a normally hot area, or a sudden increase in temperature in a normally cold area, etc.)
Some organisms could die, some could survive, and some could move to a new location.
What tends to happen in a population of animals when food is scarce? What would happen if food is plentiful?
When food is scarce, the animal population decreases because the food is hard to find. When food is plentiful, the animal population increases because there is enough food supply.
