Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Food Web Vocabulary:
Review: biotic, abiotic, ecosystems
New: Producers, Consumers, Decomposers, Predators, Prey, Parasite
Word
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
Drawing
Grass is a producer because it
makes its own food, using
sunlight energy.
Cows are consumers because
they can’t make their own
food.
Definition
Organisms that use the sun’s
energy to make their own food.
Organisms that get energy by
eating other organisms.
Word
Predators
Prey
Parasite
Sentence
Cats are predators because
they eat mice.
Mice are prey for cats
because they are killed and
eaten by cats.
A flee is a parasite because
it sucks blood without killing
the other organism.
Definition
Organisms that kill and eat
other organisms
Organism that is killed and
eaten by another organism
Organism that lives in or on
another organism and
causes it harm.
Sentence
Mushrooms and some
bacteria are decomposers
because they live on waste
or dead things.
Organisms that break down
the wastes or remains of
other organisms.
Drawing
1
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Food Webs and Ecosystems
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Date: _________________
I.
Ecosystems are made of biotic and abiotic factors
A. Biotic—grass, moss, fungi, bacteria, deer
B. Abiotic—rocks, sunlight, clouds, water, air
II. Energy flows through food webs, starting at the sun
A. Producers are organisms that make their own food using energy from
the sun.
1. Examples: ferns, moss, trees, roses, orange trees
B. Consumers are eat other organisms to get energy
1. Predators kill and eat prey.
2. Parasites “steal” food from another organism without killing it.
C. Decomposers break down wastes or remains or organisms
1. Bacteria and fungi release materials to the air, water, and soil.
2. Energy can flow from consumers or producers to
decomposers
3. Decomposers (usually) don’t pass energy on to other
organisms.
D. Eventually, all energy is lost as heat!
III. Organisms can interact with each other in several ways
A. Predators can eat prey (+/-)
B. Parasites can get food from an organism without killing it (+/-)
Summary:
2
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Draw energy flowing through a food web. Label (1) the sun, (2) Producers, (3) Consumers, (4)
Decomposers
3
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Food Web CBM Study Guide
II.II.I.1 Identify how living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem and the relationship among these components.
II.II.I.3 Explain how individual species that exist together interact with their environment to create an ecosystem (populations, communities, niches, habitats, food
webs).
II.III.I.2. Explain how energy from the sun supports life on Earth

What do biotic and abiotic mean?
1. Biotic: _______________________ Abiotic: _______________________________

What are some examples of ABIOTIC factors in an ecosystem?
2. Examples: ____________________________________________________________

What are some examples of BIOTIC factors in an ecosystem?
3. Examples: ____________________________________________________________

What is a producer?
4. A producer is __________________________________________________________
5. An example of a producer is________________________________________________

What is a consumer?
6. A consumer is _________________________________________________________
7. An example of a consumer is_______________________________________________

What is the difference between predator and prey?
8. A predator is: _________________________________________________________
9. Prey is ______________________________________________________________

What is a parasite?
10. A parasite is __________________________________________________________
11. Is a parasite a consumer or a producer (circle the correct answer)?

In ecosystems, where does most energy come from?
12. Energy comes from: ______________________________________________

In the following food web (below), circle two organisms that are competing for the same food resource.

How can you tell the animals (from #12) are competing for the same food source?
13.

Which (from the food web below) is a parasite?
14.

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
How can you tell it’s a parasite?
15.
________________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
4
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Cycles Vocabulary:
Review: Photosynthesis, fossil fuels, respiration, decomposition,
Fossil fuels, bacteria, proteins, atmosphere
New: Nitrogen Fixation, Denitrification, Evaporation, Condensation,
Precipitation
Word
Nitrogen Fixation
Denitrification
Respiration
Drawing
Sentence
Nitrogen fixation happens in
the soil around plant roots.
Bacteria break down wastes
during denitrification.
During respiration, you
breath out CO2.
Definition
Process used by bacteria that
changes nitrogen from a gas
into a form plants can use
(NO3)
Process that returns nitrogen
to the atmosphere
Process that uses oxygen
and returns carbon (carbon
dioxide) to the atmosphere.
Word
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation
A steamy cup of tea shows
evaporation.
Clouds show condensation
because water becomes a
liquid there.
Changing from gas to liquid
Raining and snowing are
examples of precipitation.
Drawing
Sentence
Definition
Changing from liquid to gas
Water falling to the earth in
any form (rain, sleet, etc).
5
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Water, Carbon, and Nitrogen Cycles
Date: _________________
I.
Every living thing needs Water, Carbon and Nitrogen
A. Your body is about 70% water.
B. Your DNA and your food is made with Carbon
C. Your muscles are made with Nitrogen
II. Matter is cycled in nature—it is never created or destroyed.
A. In the Water Cycle, water moves between the atmosphere and the
earth—the water on the earth is the same water that was here when
the earth was formed.
1. Evaporation moves water from lakes, streams, oceans, and
other bodies of water into the air.
2. Condensation forms clouds.
3. Precipitation is when water falls to the earth as rain, sleet, or
snow.
B. In the Carbon Cycle, carbon moves between earth, living things, and
the atmosphere.
1. Photosynthesis moves carbon from the atmosphere (CO2) to
living things (Carbon is converted from CO2 into sugar)
2. Animals and other organisms eat plants, taking in carbon.
3. Respiration, Decomposition, and burning fossil fuels returns
CO2 to the atmosphere.
C. In the Nitrogen Cycle, nitrogen moves between earth, living things,
and the atmosphere.
1. Most of the Atmosphere is made of nitrogen (78%), but plants
and animals cannot use it in the form of a gas.
2. Nitrogen Fixation is when bacteria change nitrogen from gas
into a form that plants can use (NO3)
3. Plants get nitrogen from the soil and animals get nitrogen from
eating (either plants or animals).
4. Nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere by excretion (getting
rid of wastes) and decomposition
a. Denitrification is the process bacteria use to returns
nitrogen to a gas in the atmosphere.
Summary:
6
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Cycles CBM Study Guide:
Standard: II.II.I.5 Describe how the availability of resources and physical factors limit growth (e.g., quantity of light and water, range of temperature, composition
of soil) and how the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles contribute to the availability of those resources to support living systems.

What are the three
parts of the water
cycle?
1. Precipitation is:___________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
2. Condensation is:__________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. _______________________ is: ______________________________
__________________________________________________________

Is the water on the
Earth today the same
or different water than
was here when
dinosaurs lived?
Which part of the
carbon cycle removes
carbon from the
atmosphere?
What are 3 ways
carbon can be returned
to the atmosphere?
4.



How do plants and
animals get carbon?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Plants get carbon_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
10. Animals get carbon __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

How does nitrogen get 11.
moved from the
atmosphere to the soil?

How is nitrogen moved
back to the
atmosphere?
12.__________________________ is the process bacteria use to return
nitrogen to a gas in the atmosphere?
7
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
BIOMES Vocabulary:
Review: Precipitation, Temperature, growing season, biodiversity, ecosystem, climate
New: Aquatic,
Word
Tundra, Desert, Rainforest, Grassland,
Permafrost,
Aquatic
Tundra
Permafrost
Fish live in an aquatic biome.
Tundra is different from the
desert because it has
permafrost.
Tundra in Alaska has
permafrost.
Biome that is underwater.
Cold biome with permafrost
and little precipitation.
A layer of permanently frozen
soil under the topsoil
Grassland
Desert
Rainforest
Zebras, and elephants live in
the grassland.
Biome with lots of grass and
large herds of grazers
Cacti and scorpions often live
in deserts.
The driest biome that has no
permafrost.
Parrots often live in the
rainforest.
The wettest biome (gets
over 200 cm of rain per
year)
Drawing
Sentence
Definition
Word
Drawing
Sentence
Definition
8
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Biome Notes:
Biomes are large areas on earth that have similar weather conditions (called
climate) and ecosystems
Cue
Words
Biome
Precipitation
(per year)
Temperature
(Celsius and
Fahrenheit)
Plants
Animals
Underwater Aquatic
N/A
N/A
Fish,
dolphins,
crabs
Driest
Desert
Driest Biome
Less than 25
cm (10 in)
Biodiversity
Rainforest
Prairie
Grassland
Wettest
biome
Over 200 cm
(79 in.)
25-75cm
(10-30 in)
Huge daily
range
(warmer than
tundra)
Constantly
warm
(25C=77F)
Water
lilies
Water
plants
Small
plants,
shrubs,
cactus
Trees,
ferns,
vines
Permafrost
Tundra
Less than
25cm (10 in.)
Hot
summers,
cold winters
Grasses
Permafrost=
(-12C=10F)
Mosses,
lichens,
shrubs
Pigeons,
mule deer,
scorpions
Ants,
monkeys,
leopards,
frogs
Grazers
like Zebras,
Bison,
Kangaroos,
Elephants
Arctic
hares,
caribou,
reindeer
Can you
find it in
New
Mexico?
Oceans,
ponds,
lakes,
rivers
Australia,
Africa,
Antarctica
No…it’s
found
mostly near
the equator
Yes! Rich
soils near
Farmington
Yes! At the
tops of
mountains
(Sangre De
Cristo)
9
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
BIOMES CBM Study Guide:
How much
precipitation do
Deserts and Tundra
get each year?
What is the main
difference between
deserts and tundra?
Which is the wettest
biome? How much
precipitation does it
get? What is the
average temperature
of this biome?
Which biome has a
great variation in daily
temperature?
Describe the plants,
animals, and soil of
the grassland biome
Describe an animal
that lives in a biome in
New Mexico. What
biome does that
animal live in? What
adaptations does this
animal have that help
it live in this biome?
What is the only biome
we talked about in
class that you cannot
find in New Mexico?
1. Deserts: _______________________________________________________
2. Tundra: _______________________________________________________
3. Tundra and deserts are different because _____________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
4. The wettest biome is _____________________________________________.
5. This biome gets _________ cm of precipitation, which is __________ inches.
6. The average temperature of this biome is __________C, which is
___________F.
7.______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
8. Plants of the grassland biome are _________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
9. Animals of the grassland biome are ________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
10. The soil of the grassland biome is _________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
11. An animal that lives in a New Mexico biome is ________________________.
12. This animal lives in the _______________________ biome.
13. These are some adaptations that this animal has: _____________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
14. _____________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
10
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
Food Webs, Cycles, and Biomes
Unit Test Study Guide:
FOOD WEBS
(1-3) Name 3 biotic
factors that you can
find in an ecosystem.
(4-6) Name 3 abiotic
factors you can find in
an ecosystem.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
(7.) What is a
producer?
(8-9) Give 2 examples
of producers.
(10) What is the source
of energy that starts
food webs?
(11) Which two animals 11.
in the food web to the
right are competing for
the same food source? 12.
(12) How can you tell
they are competing for
the same food source? 13.
(13) What are two food
sources for the deer in
the food web?
(14) Draw at least 5
arrows on the picture to
the right to show
mushrooms
(decomposers) would
fit into the food web.
11
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
(14).
(15) What does a
predator do to prey?
(16) What does a
parasite do to the
organism it lives on or
in?
(17) Is a parasite a
consumer or a
producer?
15.
16.
17.
CYCLES
(18-20) What are the
three parts of the
carbon cycle?
(21) Is the water on the
Earth today the same
or different water than
was here when
dinosaurs lived?
(22) What process
removes carbon from
the atmosphere?
(23) What are 3 ways
carbon can be returned
to the atmosphere?
(26-27) How do plants
and animals get
carbon?
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25
26. Plants:
27. Animals:
12
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
(28) What process
moves nitrogen from
the atmosphere to the
soil?
(29) What process
moves nitrogen from
the soil back to the
atmosphere?
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
28.
29.
BIOMES
(30-37) Describe the
temperature and
precipitation of the
following biomes
(Desert, tundra,
grassland, rainforest)
(38) Which biome
contains water plants,
fish, and dolphins?
(39) Which biome
contains good soil and
lots of grazing animals
(like zebras,
kangaroos, and
elephants)?
(40) In which biome
would you find
permafrost?
(41). Which biome is
not found in New
Mexico?
(42). Name an animal
that is native to New
30. Desert Temperature:
31.Desert Precipitation:
32: Tundra Temperature:
33: Tundra Precipitation:
34: Grassland Temperature:
35: Grassland Precipitation:
36: Rainforest Temperature:
37: Rainforest Precipitation:
38:
39:
40.
41.
42.
43.
13
Mr. Switzer—Food Webs, Cycles, Biomes
Study Guides and Notes
Mexico. (43). Describe
the biome that animal
lives in, and (44)
describe adaptations
that help that animal
survive.
Name: __________________________________
Date: ____________________ Hour: ________
44.
14