Name:_________________________
An ecosystem includes all the organisms living in an area as well as the nonliving factors of
that environment. For example, a pond ecosystem might include plants, fish,
microorganisms, water, sunlight, and soil.
Biotic Factors
Biotic factors are the living parts of an ecosystem. This includes all the organisms and
the organic matter they produce. Organic matter is material from once-living or living
organisms such as dead leaves, wastes, or other remains. Living matter is made up of a
limited number of elements such as Carbon, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus, and hydrogen.
Abiotic Factors
Abiotic factors include all the parts of the physical environment in an ecosystem that
influence biotic factors such as water, air, sunlight, nutrients, rocks, weather, and
temperature. Abiotic factors vary from place to place on Earth and determine the types
of organisms that live in an area. A limited number of elements such as carbon, oxygen,
nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and hydrogen are some of the abiotic factors in the air, soil,
and water that support living organisms.
Biotic and Abiotic Interactions
Living organisms rely on both biotic and abiotic and abiotic factors to sustain life. For
example, a tomato plant requires abiotic factors such as sunlight, water, air, and nutrients
in order to sustain life. The plant uses abiotic factors to produce its own food to survive.
It grows and reproduces. Humans and other organisms rely on biotic factors such as
plants and animals and abiotic factors such as water, air, and nutrients to gain the energy
needed to sustain life.
Word Part
a
bio
cella
eu
multi
uni
Meaning
without
life
Small chamber
true
More than one
single
Complete the table below:
Word
Before
What does the
word mean based
on the table?
After
What does the
word mean after
reading the
passage?
abiotic
biotic
unicellular
multicellular
Create 3 Vocabulary Cards using the terms biotic, abiotic, and ecosystem using the
index cards provided: On the lined side write the word and its definition. On the unlined
side draw and color a picture to represent the word. Keep in expander until tomorrow!
Colored
Conclusion Questions:
Picture
1. Describe an example of an ecosystem: Be sure to include both biotic and abiotic
factors.
2. Define Abiotic. Give 3 examples
3. Define Biotic: Give 3 examples
4. Explain how biotic and abiotic factors are needed to sustain life.
5. Complete the T chart classifying the following terms:
Sun, nutrients, rocks, apple tree, snake, cat, algae, river, pond, fertilizer, wind, bee, fish,
hawk, bacteria, moss, soil, sand, grass, bird, mouse, human, air
Biotic factors
Abiotic factors
6. Write a brief paragraph describing how the
biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem are
interacting. (4-5 sentences)
Using science textbook complete the following:
Read pgs. 184-186
7. What is a cell?
8. Who was the first person to describe cells?
9. What tool did Robert Hooke use to view the cell?
10. Why did Robert Hooke name what he was viewing “cells”
11. Why are plant cells easier to see in a microscope?
12. What did Hooke think that animals were not made of cells?
13. Explain how the “cell theory” was formed.
14. What is the cell theory?
15. Explain why cells are so small?
16. Explain why some cells are “big”. Give one example
*Keep index cards in expander