4 th Grade Ecology (Big Idea #2) Study Guide
Earth
Climate
Many different kinds of plants and animals may call it home, but only certain kinds are naturally found at a particular place.
The average weather conditions (like temperature and precipitation) that normally occur in a particular place.
Ecosystem
Adaptations The changes that plants and animals inherit to be able to live in one climate or another. (Polar bear: layer of fat and thick fur to withstand the arctic cold. It would struggle to survive in a hot climate.)
All the plants and animals live together with other plants and animals in a habitat
(like a community that depends on each other)
Animal
Adaptations
Structural
Adaptations
Body parts (teeth, movement, body coverings)
1) Protective
2) Mimicry
Coloration (Camouflage) to blend into environment
Able to look, sound, or act like another animal to think it is poisonous or dangerous
Plant
Adaptations
Terrestrial
Ecosystems
Behavior
Adaptations
1) Migration
Activities to help an animal survive (learned or instinctive)
Moving from one place to another (mostly to a warmer place)
2) Hibernation A deep sleep to conserve energy (during coldest months)
Protection
Reproduction
To prevent it from being eaten (thorns/spikes)
1) Colorful petals- to attract insects, birds
2) Colorful fruits- to attract animals
3) Small pollen- attaches to insects or carried by the wind
Climate/Location To get needed resources
1) Desert- shallow roots, needles
2) Temperate- loose leaves to conserve energy
All land based ecosystems
(tundra, rainforest, mountain, desert, temperate, grassland)

Aquatic
Ecosystems
Size of
Ecosystem
All water based ecosystems
Freshwater
Rivers/streams
Marine (Saltwater)
Shorelines
Lentic
System
Ponds/Lakes
Wetlands
Temperate Oceans
Tropical Oceans
Are still water ecosystems (i.e.- ponds, lakes, swamps)
Lotic System Are moving water ecosystems (i.e.- rivers, streams, creeks)
Human Made
Ecosystems
 Are created by humans
 Can be either terrestrial (land) or aquatic (water) based
 To create, we must plan, add resources, and continuously change the natural balance of an area. (dam, garden, farm, orchards, cities)
There is no set size that defines an ecosystem. (They can be as small as your mouth or as big as the entire ocean).
Biotic
Factors
Abiotic
Factors
Producer
(Biotic
Factor)
Consumers
(Biotic
Factor)
All living things are known as biotic factors
(insects, plants, animals, humans and microorganisms)
All non-living things are known as abiotic factors
(water, air, soil, sunlight, precipitation, minerals, and temperature)
Mainly green plants, algae or other organisms that can make their own food (sugar) from sunlight through photosynthesis.
*Producers begin every food chain because they are self-feeders.
Unable to make their own food and must eat the producers (plants) or other consumers.
Mainly: herbivores, carnivores, omnivores
1) Herbivores: eat only plants (orangutan)
2) Carnivores: eat only meat (wolf)
3) Omnivores: eat both plants and animals (grizzly bear)

Decomposers
(Biotic
Factor)
Consumers that live on the dead plants and animals (i.e.- earthworms, scavengers, fungi, and bacteria)
Decomposers break down dead material (i.e. - fallen leaves) and waste into basic ingredients and recycle nutrients back into the environment by decomposition.
Water Cycle The endless path water takes from the Earth to the clouds and back again.
Steps include
Precipitation
Evaporation
Rain, snow, sleet and hail
Sunlight heats the water and turns liquid water into a water vapor gas.
Transpiration Liquid water that is changed into water vapor gas and given off by a plant.
Condensation Water vapor cools and changes to liquid water
*Cycle continuously repeats itself!
Food Chain
A diagram that show the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
 Tree uses sunlight to produce food
 Deer eats the leaves from the tree
 A mountain lion eats the deer
*Diagram- (http://www.thinkscience.org/pdfs/7thGrade/FoodWebDiagram.pdf)