Name
Date
Class
Content Vocabulary
LESSON 1
Ecosystems and Biomes
Directions: Use the clues and the terms listed below to complete the puzzle. NOTE: There is no empty square
in the puzzle between the words of two-word terms. You may need to change a term to its plural form.
abiotic factor
atmosphere
biome
biotic factor
community
ecosystem
population
succession
CLUES
Across
1. water, light, and temperature, for example
5. the gradual change from one community
to another community in an area
7. all the living and nonliving things in
one place
Down
2. all the populations living in an
ecosystem at the same time
3. all the members of a species in one place
4. a parrot and a fallen tree, for example
6. forest, desert, or tundra, for example
8. includes water vapor, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, nitrogen and other gases––on
Earth
Interactions of Living Things
9
Name
Date
Class
Lesson Outline
LESSON 1
Ecosystems and Biomes
A. What are ecosystems?
1.
is the study of how organisms interact with each other
and with their environment.
2. A(n)
is made up of all the living and nonliving things
in one place.
B. Abiotic Factors
1.
are the nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
2. Some abiotic factors on Earth include water, light,
,
atmosphere, and soil.
3. The types and
of abiotic factors that are available in an
ecosystem help determine which organisms can live there.
a. All organisms need
to live, but some need more than
others.
b. Some organisms, such as plants, require
energy to
make food.
c. Ecosystems with more sunlight tend to have higher
.
4. Earth’s
contains many gases that organisms need, such
as water vapor, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.
5. The nutrient content, texture, moisture content, and depth of
affect which organisms can live in an ecosystem.
C. Biotic Factors
1.
are all the living or once-living things in an ecosystem.
2. A(n)
is made up of all the members of one species that
live in an area at one time.
3. A(n)
is all the populations that live together in an
ecosystem at the same time.
4. A(n)
is a geographic area that contains ecosystems with
similar biotic and abiotic features.
5. All biomes are part of the
, which is the part of Earth
that supports life.
6.
biomes include forests, deserts, tundra, and grasslands.
7. Aquatic biomes include saltwater areas and
10
areas.
Interactions of Living Things
Name
Date
Class
Content Practice A
LESSON 1
Ecosystems and Biomes
Directions: On the line before each definition, write the letter of the term that matches it correctly. Each term is
used only once.
1. all the living and nonliving things in one place
A. abiotic factors
2. the nonliving parts of an ecosystem
B. community
3. all the living parts of an ecosystem
4. all the members of one species that live in an area
at one time
5. a geographic area that contains ecosystems with
similar biotic and abiotic features
C. biome
D. ecosystem
E. population
F. biotic factors
G. ecology
6. all the populations living in an ecosystem at the
same time
7. the study of how organisms interact with each
other and with their environment
Directions: On the line before each statement, write T if the statement is true or F if the statement is false.
9. Every organism on Earth lives in an ecosystem.
10. Biotic factors are everything that an animal needs to survive.
11. Changes in the environment can have positive and negative effects on
ecosystems.
Interactions of Living Things
13
Name
Date
Class
Content Practice B
LESSON 1
Ecosystems and Biomes
Directions: On each line, write the term from the word bank that correctly completes each sentence. Some terms
may be used more than once or not at all.
abiotic factors
biome
biotic factors
community
ecology
ecosystem
human actions
natural processes
negative effects
population
positive effects
1. Water and soil are
, because they are not living.
2. Populations are
, because they are living.
3. A(n)
is made up of only one species.
4. An ecosystem is made up of all the
and
in one place.
5. A(n)
is the populations living in an ecosystem at the same
time.
6. A geographic area on Earth that contains ecosystems with similar biotic and abiotic
features is a(n)
.
9. All organisms need the
and the
in an ecosystem to survive.
10. Changes in the environment can have
and
on an ecosystem.
11. The study of how organisms interact is
14
.
Interactions of Living Things
Name
Date
Class
School to Home
LESSON 1
Ecosystems and Biomes
Directions: Complete the table to show the abiotic and biotic factors in the area where you live.
Abiotic Factors
Water
Light
Wind/Atmosphere
Interactions of Living Things
Temperature
Biotic Factors
Populations
Communities
Soil
15
Name
Date
Class
Key Concept Builder
LESSON 1
Ecosystems and Biomes
Key Concept What are ecosystems?
Directions: Answer each question or respond to each statement on the lines provided.
1. What makes up an ecosystem?
2. Give an example of an organism interacting with a nonliving part of an ecosystem.
Directions: Write B on the line before each example that is a biotic factor. Write A on the line before each
example that is an abiotic factor. Then answer each question below.
3. water
8. light
4. temperature
9. a dead rabbit
5. a fallen tree
10. a deer
6. an ant
11. soil
7. atmosphere
12. a plant
13. Based on your answers above:
a. how would you define biotic factor?
b. how would you define abiotic factor?
16
Interactions of Living Things
Name
Date
Class
Key Concept Builder
LESSON 1
Ecosystems and Biomes
Key Concept What are ecosystems?
Directions: Complete the Venn diagram by writing features of populations on the left and communities on the
right. Write what they have in common in the center.
1. Populations
2. Both
3. Communities
Directions: Respond to each statement on the lines provided.
Abiotic Factors
4. Explain how water helps determine which
organisms live in an ecosystem.
5. Give an example of two organisms that live in
ecosystems with different temperatures.
6. List four gases in the atmosphere that
organisms need.
Interactions of Living Things
17
Name
Date
Class
Key Concept Builder
LESSON 1
Ecosystems and Biomes
Key Concept What are biomes?
Directions: Put a check mark under the column that applies to each description. Some descriptions may have a
check mark under both columns.
Description
Ecosystems
Biomes
1. Contain populations and communities
2. Are part of the biosphere
3. Have specific biotic and abiotic factors
4. Can be very different from each other
5. Are terrestrial or aquatic
6. Can affect each other
7. All the living and nonliving things in one place
8. Large regions on Earth with specific climates,
physical features, plants, and other organisms
Directions: Answer each question or respond to each statement in the space provided.
9. Based on your check marks above, how is a biome different from an ecosystem?
10. List four major terrestrial biomes.
11. How is a marine biome different from a freshwater biome?
18
Interactions of Living Things
Lesson 1: Ecosystems and Biomes
A. What are ecosystems?
1. Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment.
2. A(n) ecosystem is made up of all the living and nonliving things in one place.
B. Abiotic Factors
1. Abiotic factors are the nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
2. Some abiotic factors on Earth include water, light, temperature, atmosphere, and soil.
3. The types and amounts of abiotic factors that are available in an ecosystem help determine which
organisms can live there.
a. All organisms need water to live, but some need more than others.
b. Some organisms, such as plants, require light energy to make food.
c. Ecosystems with more sunlight tend to have higher temperatures.
4. Earth’s atmosphere contains many gases that organisms need, such as water vapor, oxygen,
carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.
5. The nutrient content, texture, moisture content, and depth of soil affect which organisms can live in
an ecosystem.
C. Biotic Factors
1. Biotic factors are all the living or once-living things in an ecosystem.
2. A(n) population is made up of all the members of one species that live in an area at one
time.
3. A(n) community is all the populations that live together in an ecosystem at the same time.
4. A(n) biome is a geographic area that contains ecosystems with similar biotic and abiotic
features.
5. All biomes are part of the biosphere, which is the part of Earth that supports life.
6. Terrestrial biomes include forests, deserts, tundra, and grasslands.
7. Aquatic biomes include saltwater areas and freshwater areas.
Content Vocabulary (page 9)
1. abiotic factors
2. community
3. population
4. biotic factors
5. succession
6. biome
7. ecosystem
8. atmosphere
Content Practice A (page 13)
1. E
2. A
3. G
4. F
5. D
6. B
7. C
8. H
9. T
10. F
11. T
Content Practice B (page 14)
1. abiotic factors
2. biotic factors
3. population
4. (in either order) abiotic factors, biotic factors
5. community
6. biome
7. (in either order) natural processes, human
actions
8. succession
9. (in either order) biotic factors, abiotic factors
10. (in either order) negative effects, positive effects
11. ecology
School to Home (page 15)
Answers will vary. Students should include accurate descriptions of examples of abiotic and biotic factors that are part of
the local ecosystem.
Key Concept Builder (page 16)
1. All the living and nonliving things in one place make up an ecosystem.
2. Possible answer: A deer interacts with a nonliving part of its ecosystem when it drinks water.
3. A
4. A
5. B
6. B
7. A
8. A
9. B
10. B
11. A
12. B
13. Possible answer: a. A biotic factor is a part of an ecosystem that is living or was ever living; b. An abiotic factor is a
part of an ecosystem that is not living and was never living.
Key Concept Builder (page 17)
1. (in either order) all the members of one species in the area; compete for food, shelter, and mates
2. (in any order) biotic factors in an ecosystem; live in the same area; interact
3. (in either order) all the populations in the area; many different species
4. All organisms need water, but some organisms need more water than others, and some must have freshwater,
although others need salt water.
5. Possible answer: Ferns and vines lives in a warm rain forest. A cactus lives in a desert, which can be very hot during
the day and cold at night.
6. (in any order) oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrogen
Key Concept Builder (page 18)
9. Possible answer: A biome is much larger than an ecosystem.
10. (in any order) forests, deserts, tundra, Grasslands
11. Possible answer: A marine biome has salt water and all the organisms that can survive in that environment. A
freshwater biome has freshwater organisms.