Name _________________________
Ecology
Date ______________
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is an area where living organisms interact with each other and with the nonliving parts of their environment.
The living parts of an ecosystem are called its biotic factors.
1.
Name some biotic factors that you might see in a local pond/meadow ecosystem:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2.
Describe some ways these organisms might interact with each other.
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The nonliving parts of an ecosystem are called it abiotic factors. The abiotic factors influence the kinds of living things that can survive in a particular environment.
3.
Name some abiotic (nonliving) factors:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
4.
Describe some ways the living organisms might interact with the nonliving parts of the environment.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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Draw a picture to represent each vocabulary word:
Each living member in an area is called an INDIVIDUAL.
A group of individuals of the same species is
called a POPULATION.
All the different populations living in the
same area make up its COMMUNITY.
The living community and its nonliving
parts make up the ECOSYSTEM.

Name __________________________
Ecology
Date _________________
Symbiosis & Predator-Prey
Living things in an ecosystem interact with each other.
Sometimes members of different species form SYMBIOTIC relationships in which one or both members benefit. There are different kinds of symbiotic relationships.
Describe how each of the living things in this picture benefit from their relationship.
The bee helps the flower by…
The flower helps the bee by…
In this symbiotic relationship, the large grazing animals move through the grass stirring up insects.
The Cattle Egrets (birds) benefit by …
The grazing animals are not helped or harmed.
This “strangler fig” has wrapped its roots around another tree.
Eventually, the roots will tunnel into the bark of the host tree and stop its flow of nutrients. The leaves of the fig will compete with the tree for sunlight.
The strangler fir ____________________.
The host tree is _____________________.

PREDATOR-PREY is another type of relationship that exists between living things.
A predator hunts and kills other animals for food.
The prey is the animal that is being hunted.
In these relationships, identify the predator and the prey.
The predator is the ___________________.
The prey is the ______________________.
The predator is ___________________.
The prey is ______________________.
The predator is the ________________.
The prey is the ___________________.

Name ______________________
Ecological Relationships

Date _________________
Critical Thinking Activity
In this activity, you will be watching some nature film clips and making some observations about the relationships and interactions between the living things.
After the film sequence, respond to the following questions:
1.
What kinds of interactions did you observe between the living things of these environments? Use details from the film clips to explain “who” and “what” you saw.
2. Which of these relationships are mostly likely factual (true) interactions?

3. Which relationships are fictional? Explain how they are fictional.
4. Choose one of the interactions you thought was fictional. Why do you think the scriptwriter, film-maker, or producer portrayed the relationship in this way?
5. Thinking about Ecology: Look back at your list from question #1.
Classify as many of the relationships as you can. For each relationship, ask yourself… Is this an example of mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, predator-prey… or something else?