Living Things and the Environment

Habitats (p. 705-709)

1.  A(n) organism obtains food, water, shelter, and other things it needs to live, grow, and reproduce from its environment.

2.  The place where an organism lives and that provides the things the organism needs is called its habitat.

3.  What needs of an organism are provided by its habitat? food, water, shelter

4.  Circle one: True or False? An area contains only one habitat.

5.  List four biotic factors in a prairie dog ecosystem. (answers will vary)

a) grass c) ferrets

b) hawks d) badgers

6.  The process in which plants and algae make food using water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide is called photosynthesis.

7.  Define species. group of organisms that are physically similar and can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce

8.  All the different populations that live together in an area make up a(n) community.

9.  Put the following levels of organization in an ecosystem in order from the smallest unit of organization to the largest.

community ecosystem organism population

organism, population, community, and ecosystem

10.  In addition to a community of different species, what else does an ecosystem include? abiotic factors

Studying Populations (p. 711-718)

11.  An environmental factor that causes a population to decrease is called a(n) limiting factor.

12.  The largest population that an area can support is called its carrying capacity.

13.  What are some ways weather conditions can limit population growth? rainfall and temperature

Adapting to the Environment/Competition (p. 723-724)

14.  A characteristic that allows a species to live successfully in its environment. adaptations

15.  The way a species makes its living. niche

16.  The process in which a species becomes better suited to its environment. natural selection

17.  The three major types of interactions among organisms are competition, predation, and symbiosis.

18.  Circle True or False: The struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources is called natural selection.

19.  Circle True or False: In a particular environment, two species can usually occupy the same niche.

Predation (p. 725-727)

20.  An interaction in which one organism kills and eats another is called predation. The organism that does the killing is the predator. The organism that is killed is the prey.

21.  Circle True or False: If a prey population decreases, the population of its predator probably will decrease as well.

Symbiosis (p. 728-729)

22.  Symbiosis is a close relationship between two speciesthat benefits at least one of the species.

23.  Complete the compare/contrast table.

Types of Symbiotic Relationships
Type of Relationship / How Species Are Affected
Mutualism / relationship in which both species benefit
Commensalism / One species benefits, the other species is unharmed.
Parasitism / One species benefits, the other species is harmed.

25.In a parasitic relationship, the organism that benefits is called a(n)

_parasite, and the organism it lives on or in is called

a(n) host.

Energy Flow in Ecosystems (p. 740-745)

24.  Consumers that eat only plants herbivore

25.  Consumers that eat both plants and animals omnivore

26.  Carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms scavenger

27.  A series of events where one organism eats another and obtains energy food chain

28.  An organism that makes its own food producer

29.  Many overlapping food chains food web

30.  A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web energy pyramid

31.  Obtains energy by feeding on other organisms consumer