Name
Date
Class
Lesson Outline
LESSON 1
Ecosystems
A. Abiotic and Biotic Factors
1. All nonliving and living parts of the environment in a given area form
a(n)
2.
.
factors are the nonliving parts of an ecosystem and
include air, water, soil, and sunlight
3.
factors determine what kinds of organisms can live in
an ecosystem.
4.
factors are the living or once-living parts of an
ecosystem and include
that are alive,
produced by these organisms, and the
remains of organisms that have died.
B. Habitats
1. The place within an ecosystem that provides food, water, shelter, and other biotic
and abiotic factors an organism needs to survive and reproduce is the
organism’s
.
in a dragonfly’s habitat provide leaves for
2. For example,
laying eggs and
for young dragonflies.
C. Populations and Communities
1. All the organisms of the same species that live in the same area at the same time
are known as a(n)
2. A(n)
.
is made up of all the populations living in an
ecosystem at the same time.
D. Interactions of Living Things
1. A habitat can contain more than one
.
2. Each species in a habitat uses
in a different way
3. The way a species interacts with abiotic and biotic factors to obtain food, find
shelter, and fulfill other needs to survive is called a(n)
4. The act of
.
involves one organism, called the predator,
feeding on another organism, its prey.
10
Interactions Within Ecosystems
Name
Date
Class
Lesson Outline continued
5. A close, long-term relationship between two species that usually involves an
exchange of food or energy is called
.
a. When both species benefit from the relationship, it is
called
.
b. When one species benefits from the relationship and the other species is neither
harmed nor benefited, it is called
.
c. When one species (called the
) benefits and the other
(called the
called
) is harmed, the relationship is
.
6. Interactions between two or more organisms that need the same resources at the
same time is known as
.
E. Population Changes
1. The size of a(n)
changes when individuals are born or
or when individuals move into or away from a
community.
a. A comparison of the size of a population to the amount of space available is
called
density.
b. Individuals live close together in an area that has a(n)
population density and tend to have more
for
resources.
2. The largest number of individuals of one species that an ecosystem can support
over time is called
3. A species of organisms becomes
of that species disappear from Earth; the
can affect the
Interactions Within Ecosystems
.
if all the populations
of one species
of other populations in the ecosystem.
11
Name
Date
Class
Lesson Outline
LESSON 2
Energy and Matter
A. Food Energy
1. Every organism needs a constant supply of
to stay alive.
2. An important part of the
of a species is the way the
species gets its energy.
3. Organisms that use an outside energy source such as the Sun and produce their
own food are called
.
B. Consumers
1. Organisms that cannot make their own food are called
,
and they obtain energy by consuming other
or
compounds produced by other
.
2.
are consumers that eat producers.
3.
are consumers that eat producers and other consumers.
4.
are consumers that eat herbivores, omnivores, and
other types of carnivores.
5. Consumers that eat the bodies of dead organisms and wastes produced by living
organisms are called
.
a. Detritivores that eat the bodies of animals killed by carnivores or omnivores are
called
.
b. Detritivores that are microscopic and cause decay of dead organisms or wastes
produced by living organisms are called
.
C. The Flow of Energy
1. The first step in the flow of energy through a(n)
when producers convert energy from the
own
2. Food
from a producer to one or more
into their
.
is
to another in an ecosystem through feeding relationships.
3. A(n)
occurs
from one organism
is a simple model that shows how energy moves
through feeding
relationships.
30
Interactions Within Ecosystems
Name
Date
Class
Lesson Outline continued
4. A model of energy transfer that can show how the food chains in a community are
interconnected is called a(n)
.
5. Most food chains have at least
than
links but no more
links because through each stage of energy
transfer some of the stored energy is
as heat.
a. A model that shows the amount of energy available in each link of a food chain
is called a(n)
.
b. In a community, there are always more
than
consumers.
D. Cycling Materials
1. Organisms do not need only a constant supply of energy; they also
need
to make cells and tissues.
a. Matter cannot be
or destroyed, but it can
form, cycling through ecosystems.
b. Three pathways for matter to move through ecosystems are the
cycle, the water
the
, and
-carbon dioxide cycle.
2. Living things use nitrogen to make
.
3. These nitrogen-fixing
live in the soil and change
nitrogen
into compounds that plants and other
producers absorb.
4.
is essential for every process occurring in cells and
tissues, such as
respiration, photosynthesis, and
digestion.
, water vapor from Earth’s
a. Due to the processes of
surface
into the atmosphere.
b. Water vapor in the atmosphere cools and
clouds; water returns to Earth as
5. Most living things need oxygen for
process,
Interactions Within Ecosystems
, forming
.
respiration; in this
is released into the atmosphere.
31
Name
Date
Class
Lesson Outline
LESSON 3
Humans and Ecosystems
A. Affecting the Environment
1. All organisms, including
, change the environment.
2. Humans use many of the same natural
as other species.
a. Natural resources that can be replenished by natural processes at least as quickly
as they are used are known as
resources.
b. Natural resources that are used up faster than they can be replaced by natural
processes are known as
resources.
c. Fossil fuels are a(n)
resource that people are hoping
to replace with
resources.
d. The exhaustion of one or more resources in an area is known as
; the loss of
in the
Ogallala Aquifer is an example.
3. Human actions can have
consequences on the
environment.
a. An unintended consequence of using CFCs is damage to
the
.
b. Burning fossil fuels increases the amount of
and
other greenhouse
in the atmosphere.
c. The amount of
gases released by a person,
organization, event, or product is its carbon
.
d. An increase in greenhouse gases is leading to an increase in Earth’s average
temperature, which is called
e. Global
.
could be the result of global warming, which
could affect what kinds of
places, cause an increase in floods and
could be grown in particular
, and raise the
level of the oceans.
B. Protecting the World
1. Understanding how people affect the
figure out ways to cause less harm; developing
resources and reducing
Interactions Within Ecosystems
helps people
energy
are also important.
49
Name
Date
Lesson Outline continued
2. Passing
laws is one way to help prevent
to the environment.
a. The
, abbreviated as EPA, is the government agency
that is responsible for enforcing environmental laws.
b. The
helps prevent extinction of some species and
helps protect their habitats.
c. Air and water
have been reduced due to two laws—the
Act and the Act.
3.
can do many things to help keep the environment
healthy.
a.
habitats and ecosystems (that is, bringing them back
to their original state) is one way of contributing to environmental health.
b.
ways that we do daily tasks to use fewer resources is
another way to contribute to environmental health.
c.
waste and pollution by cutting down on energy use
also leads to a healthier environment.
d.
items by repairing them or figuring out another way
to use them helps cut down on garbage.
e.
, which is processing things so the materials they are
made of can be used again, conserves resources.
Class
Lesson Outline for Teaching
Lesson 1: Ecosystems
A. Abiotic and Biotic Factors
1. All nonliving and living parts of the environment in a given area form a(n) ecosystem.
2. Abiotic factors are the nonliving parts of an ecosystem and include air, water, soil,
and sunlight.
3. Abiotic factors determine what kinds of organisms can live in an ecosystem.
4. Biotic factors are the living or once-living parts of an ecosystem and include
organisms that are alive, wastes produced by these organisms, and the decayed
remains of organisms that have died.
B. Habitats
1. The place within an ecosystem that provides food, water, shelter, and other biotic
and abiotic factors an organism needs to survive and reproduce is the organism’s
habitat.
2. For example, plants in a dragonfly’s habitat provide leaves for egg-laying and food
for young dragonflies to eat.
C. Populations and Communities
1. All the organisms of the same species that live in the same area at the same time
are known as a(n) population.
2. A(n) community is made up of all the populations living in an ecosystem at the
same time.
D. Interactions of Living Things
1. A habitat can contain more than one population.
2. Each species in a habitat uses resources in a different way.
3. The way a species interacts with abiotic and biotic factors to obtain food, find
shelter, and fulfill other needs is called a(n) niche.
4. The act of predation involves one organism, called the predator, feeding on another
organism, its prey.
5. A close, long-term relationship between two species that usually involves an
exchange of food or energy is called symbiosis.
a. When both species benefit from the relationship, it is called mutualism.
b. When one species benefits from the relationship and the other species is
neitherharmed nor benefited, it is called commensalism.
c. When one species (called the parasite) benefits and the other (called the host)
isharmed, the relationship is called parasitism.
6. Interactions between two or more organisms that need the same resources at the
same time is known as competition.
E. Population Changes
1. The size of a(n) population changes when individuals are born or die or when
individuals move into or away from a community.
a. A comparison of the size of a population to the amount of space available is
called population density.
b. Individuals live close together in an area that has a(n) high population density
and tend to have more competition for resources.
2. The largest number of individuals of one species that an ecosystem can support
over time is called carrying capacity.
3. A species of organisms becomes extinct if all the populations of that species
disappear from Earth; the extinction of one species can affect the carrying capacity
of other populations in the ecosystem.
Discussion Question
Which kinds of organisms do you think would affect an ecosystem more if they became
extinct—plants or animals? Explain your answer.
Plants are the bases of most food chains, so they would affect ecosystems more if they
became extinct. The population(s) of the organism(s) that depend on the extinct plant
species as a source of food would also decrease, affecting the organisms that prey on the
plant eaters, all the way up the food chain. The extinction of an animal species will directly
affect any predators, prey, or plant species that interact with the animal species.
Lesson Outline for Teaching
Lesson 2: Energy and Matter
A. Food Energy
1. Every organism needs a constant supply of energy to stay alive.
2. An important part of the niche of a species is the way the species gets its energy.
3. Organisms that use an outside energy source such as the Sun and produce their
own food are called producers.
B. Consumers
1. Organisms that cannot make their own food are called consumers, and they obtain
energy by consuming other organisms or compounds produced by other organisms.
2. Herbivores are consumers that eat producers.
3. Omnivores are consumers that eat producers and other consumers.
4. Carnivores are consumers that eat herbivores, omnivores, and other types of
carnivores.
5. Consumers that eat the bodies of dead organisms and wastes produced by living
organisms are called detritivores.
a. Detritivores that eat the bodies of animals killed by carnivores or omnivores
are called scavengers.
b. Detritivores that are microscopic and cause decay of dead organisms or
wastes produced by living organisms are called decomposers.
C. The Flow of Energy
1. The first step in the flow of energy through a(n) ecosystem occurs when producers
convert energy from the environment into their own food.
2. Food energy is transferred from one organism to another in an ecosystem through
feeding relationships.
3. A(n) food chain is a simple model that shows how energy moves from a producer
to one or more consumers through feeding relationships.
4. A model of energy transfer that can show how the food chains in a community are
interconnected is called a(n) food web.
5. Most food chains have at least three links but no more than five links because
through each stage of energy transfer some of the stored energy is lost as heat.
a. A model that shows the amount of energy available in each link of a food
chain is called a(n) energy pyramid.
b. In a community, there are always more producers than consumers.
D. Cycling Materials
1. Organisms do not need only a constant supply of energy; they also need matter to
make cells and tissues.
a. Matter cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change form, cycling through
ecosystems.
b. Three pathways for matter to move through ecosystems are the nitrogen
cycle, the water cycle, and the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle.
2. Living things use nitrogen to make proteins.
3. These nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in the soil and change nitrogen gas into
compounds that plants and other producers absorb.
4. Water is essential for every process occurring in cells and tissues, such as cellular
respiration, photosynthesis, and digestion.
a. Due to the processes of evaporation, water vapor from Earth’s surface rises
into the atmosphere.
b. Water vapor in the atmosphere cools and condenses, forming clouds; water
returns to Earth as precipitation.
5. Most living things need oxygen for cellular respiration; in this process, carbon
dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
Discussion Question
Describe a food chain likely to be part of a deep-sea ecosystem that depends on
chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis.
Refer students to the photo of a deep-sea ecosystem at the beginning of Lesson 2. All answers
should include chemosynthesizing bacteria as the producer at the bottom of the food chain,
an organism that consumes the bacteria at the next level, and an organism that consumes the
bacteria-eating consumer at the next level. Students might include two more consumers in
the food chain. Encourage students to justify the structure of the food chain, to give their
ideas about the feeding relationships, and to explain what limits the length of the food chain.
Lesson Outline for Teaching
Lesson 3: Humans and Ecosystems
A. Affecting the Environment
1. All organisms, including humans, change the environment.
2. Humans use many of the same natural resources as other species.
a. Natural resources that can be replenished by natural processes at least as
quickly as they are used are known as renewable resources.
b. Natural resources that are used up faster than they can be replaced by natural
processes are known as nonrenewable resources.
c. Fossil fuels are a(n) nonrenewable resource that people are hoping to replace
with renewable resources.
d. The exhaustion of one or more resources in an area is known as resource
depletion; the loss of water in the Ogallala Aquifer is an example.
3. Human actions can have unintended consequences on the environment.
a. An unintended consequence of using CFCs is damage to the ozone layer.
b. Burning fossil fuels increases the amount of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
c. The amount of greenhouse gases released by a person, organization, event,
or product is its carbon footprint.
d. An increase in greenhouse gases is leading to an increase in Earth’s average
temperature, which is called global warming.
e. Global climate change could be the result of global warming, which could
affect what kinds of crops could be grown in particular places, cause an increase
in floods and drought, and raise the level of the oceans.
B. Protecting the World
1. Understanding how people affect the environment helps people figure out ways to
cause less harm; developing renewable energy resources and reducing pollution are
also important.
2. Passing environmental laws is one way to help prevent damage to the environment.
a. The Environmental Protection Agency, abbreviated as EPA, is the government
agency that is responsible for enforcing environmental laws.
b. The Endangered Species Act helps prevent extinction of some species and
helps protect their habitats.
c. Air and water pollution have been reduced due to two laws—the Clean Air Act
and the Clean Water Act.
3. People can do many things to help keep the environment healthy.
a. Restoring habitats and ecosystems (that is, bringing them back to their original
state) is one way of contributing to environmental health.
b. Rethinking ways that we do daily tasks to use fewer resources is another way
to contribute to environmental health.
c. Reducing waste and pollution by cutting down on energy use also leads to a
healthier environment.
d. Reusing items by repairing them or figuring out another way to use them helps
cut down on garbage.
e. Recycling, which is processing things so the materials they are made of can
be used again, conserves resources.
Discussion Question
With your classmates, brainstorm ways that you could reuse a cotton T-shirt that is still in
good shape but no longer fits you; then brainstorm ways to use the T-shirt after it has been
worn out.
Sample answers for using the T-shirt that is still wearable could include giving it to someone
else who still can wear it or making it into a different useful item, such as a bag or a pillow;
accept any other answers that involve a reduction of resource use. Sample answers for using
a worn-out T-shirt might include making part of it into a different useful item, such as a bag
or part of a quilt, using it for a rag, tearing it in strips to use to tie different items; accept
any other answers that involve a reduction of resource use.