Ecosystems Part 2 Name __________
Study Guide
The test will be matching, fill in the blank, and short answer.
Vocabulary
 system ~ group of parts that work as a unit
 stability ~ property of a
 ecosystem ~ system made up of living things and their environment
 population ~ group of the
living in the same place at the same time
 community ~
living together and interacting
 habitat ~ place that meets an organism’s needs
 niche ~
of an organism in its habitat
 producer ~ living thing that can
 consumer ~ living thing that
other living things
 decomposer ~ living thing that breaks down
plants or animals for food
 climate ~ average
of a place over a long time

 diversity ~
of plants and animals
 salinity~ amount of
in something
Concepts & Questions
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The open-ocean zone, near-shore zone, and intertidal zones are the three main life zones in the ocean. The narrow strip of land that is covered by ocean water during high tides is the intertidal zone.
The shallow area of ocean water that provides a habitat for many forms of life is the near-shore zone.
The deepest part of the ocean is the open-ocean zone.
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A food web shows how different
.
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An energy pyramid shows
from one organism to another along a food chain.
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The 3 levels of a food chain are producers, consumers, and decomposers.

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Ecosystems with lots of resource for meeting organisms’ needs often have many living things.
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Explain why a tree is an open system instead of a closed system (think inputs and outputs)._________
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In our food chain tag, what would have happened to the stability of our ecosystem if there were too many hawks?__________________________________
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What are the most basic parts of an ecosystem? ___
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Most natural systems have patterns that give them stability/inputs/outputs/diversity. (circle one)

An observation is something you can directly observe with your senses. An inference is a conclusion you come to based on your observations.
For example, in this picture,
I can observe that the boy is crying. I can then infer that he is sad or upset. I cannot
observe how he is feeling, but I can infer his feelings based on the facial expressions that I observe.
You will be asked to look at a picture of animals in their habitat, and identify and make several observations and inferences.