Name:
_______________________
Block: ______
Date: _______________
HB6.1. Worksheet: Populations and the Environment
1 to 5: Identify whether each of the following is a biotic or abiotic factor.
__________ 1. Bear
__________ 2. Rock
__________ 3. Dead log
__________ 4. Grass
__________ 5. Sunlight
6. An organism’s niche is determined by its _______________, which is it’s physical
environment.
7. ________________, inherited traits that increase an organisms chance of survival, also
determine an organism’s niche.
8. Which of the following statements are observations about the photo on the
right? Check all that apply.
A. Three boys are wearing green shirts.
B. Most of the children are running.
C. The boy in yellow is going to kick the ball.
D. The grass is green.
E. The boy on the far right is playing defense.
9 to 13: Identify the interactions as positive, negative, or both.
9. A mudslide wipes out the side of a thriving hill. _______________
10. A volcano erupts, covering the nearby land with lava. _______________
11. A forest is rapidly growing new plant life. _______________
12. Humans remove wolves from a national park to protect surrounding homes.
_______________
13. A dam is built in the middle of a river ecosystem to supply water to a nearby town.
_______________
14. A recent forest fire has swept through the forest, killing many of the smaller organisms
such as the hare, deer, and rodent populations that are prey for the larger organisms such
as bobcats, wolves, and mountain lions. How would this affect the populations in the forest
ecosystem? Check all that apply.
A. The populations of all organisms in the forest will stay the same.
B. The populations of bobcats, wolves, and mountain lions will decrease due to lack of
food.
C. The populations of deer, hare, and rodents will decrease due to the number of
predators.
D. The population of bobcats, wolves, and mountain lions will increase due to the
availability of food.
15 to 19: Identify the following as biotic or abiotic.
__________ 15. Heat
__________ 16. Insects
__________ 17. Rotting log
__________ 18. Bacteria
__________ 19. Water
Read the following to explore the habitat as well as the niche of a giraffe, then
answer the questions provided.
20. Describe the habitat of the giraffe.
21. Describe the niche of the giraffe.
Read the following article about the tundra biome, then answer the question
provided.
22. Describe animal interactions that affect populations in the tundra ecosystem.