Name ______________________________________________
Study Guide
Chapter 3, lesson 1:
What are the parts to the ecosystem?
Define the following words:
Ecosystem (page 79) -
____________________________________________________
Population (page 82) - _____________________________________________________
Community (page 82) - _____________________________________________________
Habitat (page 82) - _______________________________________________________
Niche (page 82) - _________________________________________________________
Label the diagram below by placing the number next to the words Ecosystem,
Habitat, or Community (pages82-83):
1. The different
populations that
interact with each
other in the same
area form this.
2. The area or place
where an organism
lives in an
ecosystem . Think
of it as an
organism’s
“address”.
3. All living and
nonliving things
in an environment
and the many ways
they interact.
Cut out the descriptions, paste/glue them in the correct row based on its
background illustration and an animal or plant that is illustrated in the second
and third columns (pages 80-81).
Name of Ecosystem and
Background
Some of the plants/animals
Description
Chapter 3, lesson 2
How Does Energy Flow in an Ecosystem?
Define the following words(pages 84,87):
HERBIVORES –
CARNIVORES –
OMNIVORES –
_________________________________________
DECOMPOSERS -
Energy Pyramid:
Humans are Omnivores.
1. Why would omnivores tend to be the most successful
survivors? (page 84)
________________________________________________
2. Draw conclusions (page 84)
If all of the producers were removed from a desert
ecosystem, which consumers would be affected first?
________________________________________________
3. What are decomposers important in the food chain? (page
87)
________________________________________________
Parts of the Food Chain
(Summary)
Producers
Plants are called producers. This is because they produce their own food! They do this by
using light energy from the Sun, carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to
produce food - in the form of glucouse/sugar. The process is called photosynthesis.
Consumers
Animals are called consumers. This is because they cannot make their own food, so they
need to consume (eat) plants and/or animals.
There are 3 groups of consumers:
Animals that eat only plants.
Animals that eat only animals.
Animals that eat both animals AND plants. Humans are
also omnivores!
Decomposers
Bacteria and fungi are decomposers. They eat decaying matter dead plants and animals and in the process they break them
down and decompose them When that happens, they release
nutrients and mineral salts back into the soil - which then will be
used by plants!
Food Chains
(examples)
Label the illustrations as either producers, consumers, or decomposers
There is actually even more to this chain. After a hawk dies, fungi (like mushrooms) and other
decomposers break down the dead hawk, and turn the remains of the hawk into nutrients,
which are released into the soil. The nutrients (plus sun and water) then cause the grass to
grow.
It's a full circle of life and energy!!
So food chains make a full circle, and energy is passed from plant to animal to animal to
decomposer and back to plant! There can be many links in food chains but not TOO many. If
there are too many links, then the animal at the end would not get enough energy.
Chapter 3, lesson 3:
How does matter flow in an ecosystem?
List two types of freshwater ecosystems and the two types of
salt water ecosystems (pages 90-91):
Freshwater
Saltwater
Ecosystem
Ecosystem
____________
____________
____________
List one of the food chains shown on pages 92-93.
starts with algae.
______________  __________________
__________
Hint: It
 _________________
or
___________  _____________
 _____________  ______________
Why is decay in an ecosystem so important ? (page 94)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Desert
 Driest
 Limited water
Grassland
 Receive a medium
amount of rain
Forest
 Filled with trees,
wildflowers, and
animals
 More rain than
grasslands
Tundra
 Cold, dry region
 Ground beneath the
surface is frozen all
year long
 Trees cannot grow
Tropical Rain Forest
 Always wet
 Rain year-round