Ecosystem Dynamics Study Guide
Name: __________________________
6th Grade PSI
1. Define and give an example of each level of organization:
a. Species
b. Population
c. Community
d. Ecosystem
e. Biome
f. Biosphere
2. What is an abiotic factor? Give an example.
3. What is a biotic factor? Give an example.
4. Choose any organism. Describe its habitat and its niche.
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6th Grade PSI
Ecosystem Dynamics
5. What is the difference between interspecific and intraspecific competition?
6. Give an example of competition in plants.
7. Give an example of a predator/prey interaction.
8. What is mutualism? Give an example.
9. What are two ways that populations increase and two ways that populations
decrease?
10. How does population size relate to available resources?
11. How does interspecific competition affect population sizes?
12. Fill in the blanks with increases or decreases:
a. If prey population decreases, the predator population _______________.
b. If predator population decreases, the prey population _______________.
c. If prey population increases, the predator population ________________.
d. If predator population increases, the prey population ________________.
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6th Grade PSI
Ecosystem Dynamics
13. What is carrying capacity?
14. Describe the roles of producers, consumers and decomposers?
15. Describe the three categories of consumers.
16. Why are decomposers important?
17. What is a food web?
18. Be able to look at a food web and understand how a change in one species will
affect other species. For example, if the frog population decreases, how could
this affect the snake and the mayfly populations?
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6th Grade PSI
Ecosystem Dynamics