Name ________________________________
Date _____________________ Period ______
These are the concepts we are learning in this unit. Use this as a study guides for quizzes and
tests.
1.
What are abiotic and biotic factors? How can abiotic factors affect biotic factors?
2.
Describe the nitrogen cycle. Explain why nitrogen is important to organisms. Describe the role of legumes in the cycle.
3.
Define and give examples of biotic relationships (competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism).
4.
Define “trophic levels”. What are the trophic levels in an ecosystem and how are they related?
5.
Be able to draw and understand a food web. Which way do the arrows point?
6.
Predict what might happen to an ecosystem if one trophic level were removed.
7.
What is the difference between a habitat and a niche? Explain what kinds of characteristics should be included when describing a niche.
8.
What is an adaptation? Give three examples of how organisms are adapted to their habitat.
9.
How do adaptations develop? Explain why an individual cannot change its adaptations during its life time.
10.
Draw and label an energy pyramid. Calculate energy availability with the 10% rule. Be sure to use appropriate units.
11.
Explain how an energy pyramid represents the flow of energy in a food chain without breaking the Law of Conservation of Energy.
12.
Describe the steps and cycle of the scientific method.
13.
What is the difference between the control group and experimental group? Why does every experiment need a control group?
14.
Explain the differences among independent variables, dependent variables and controlled variables.
15.
What are ecosystem services? Give five examples of ecosystem services provided by a prairie.
16.
How much of our native coastal prairie is left? What happened to the rest of the prairie?
17.
Describe a prairie pothole. Explain its role in the Gulf Coastal Prairie.
18.
How is fire part of prairie ecology? How does it help a prairie?
19.
How do grazing animals help a prairie? Identify several grazers.
20.
How are grasses better adapted to withstand fire than trees?
21.
Name several native grasses, animals and plants commonly found in the Gulf Coastal Prairie.
22.
Describe the current threats to the Katy Prairie. What are some possible solutions to this problem?

Monday Sept 8 Tuesday Sept 9 Wed Sept 10/Thursday Sept 11
Set up nitrogen lab experiment
Fri Sept 12
Start Lab: Nitrogen
Fixation in Legumes
– use p64/65 in green book to fill in first two pages
(Obj#1&2)
Monday Sept 15 Tuesday Sept 16 W Wednesday Sept 17/Thursday Sept 18
Symbiotic relationships – complete and turn
in worksheet (Obj
#3)
Adaptations,
Niches, Habitats,
Food webs (Obj #4-
7)
Activity – Owl Pellets! (Obj#4-11)
Quiz – Obj #1-7
Friday Sept 19
Energy Pyramids
(Obj #10-11)
Mon Sept 22 Tuesday Sept 23 Wed Sept 24/Th Sept 25
Scientific Method and Experimental design (Obj#12-14)
Quiz Obj#12-14
Nitrogen lab – data collection
Special presentation – Skulls and Skins of
Texas – Kayla Krueger
Monday Sept 29 Tuesday Sept 30 Wed October 1/Thurs Oct 2
Complete and turn in Lab Write up –
MAJOR GRADE
Friday Oct 3
Going outside to
Wolf Prairie!
Wear Closed-toe shoes
Notes – Ecology of the Gulf Coastal
Prairie (Obj #15-21)
Going outside to Wolf Prairie!
Wear closed-toe shoes
Ecosystem inventory – Half Major
grade due end of period (Obj #1-11)
Friday Sept
No School – Yom
Kippur
Describing the Gulf
Coastal Prairie
(Obj#15-16)
Monday Oct 6 Tuesday Oct 7
Review – Wolves in
Yellowstone
Review Day!
HW – Study for test!
Wednesday Oct 8/Thursday Oct 9
End of 1 st 6 weeks