Interactions: Living Together, Food Chains And Food Webs

Question 1

What is an organism?

Answer 1

Organisms are living things, which can be plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.

Question 2

What is a habitat?

Answer 2

The place where an organism lives.

A habitat provides the necessary conditions for an organism’s survival.

Question 3

What is the environment of an organism?

Answer 3

The surroundings of an organism, which includes both living and non-living things.

Question 4

What physical conditions of the environment affect the survival of an organism in its habitat?

Hint: There are 5 conditions!

Answer 4

1. Temperature
2. Amount of Light
3. Availability of Water
4. Availability of Air
5. Types of Soil

Question 5

How is temperature defined?

Answer 5

Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold a place is.

Question 6

What does availability of water refer to?

Answer 6

How much and how easily water can be obtained.

Water is essential for life, affecting hydration and nutrient transport.

Question 7

Why is availability of air important for living things?

Answer 7

Living things cannot survive in places with little or no air.

Air provides oxygen and other gases necessary for respiration.

Question 8

What are the types of soil?

Answer 8

Clay, sand, and loamy soil.

Different soil types affect plant growth due to their water retention and nutrient content.

Question 9

Extra Credit: Soils

What is a characteristic of clay (soil)?

Answer 9

Clay does not allow water to pass through easily.

This makes it unsuitable for many plants due to poor drainage.

Question 10

Extra Credit: Soils

What is a characteristic of sand (soil)?

Answer 10

Sand allows water to pass through too quickly and does not have much nutrients.

This can lead to drought stress for plants.

Question 11

Extra Credit: Soils

What is loamy soil suitable for?

Answer 11

Planting, because it holds just the right amount of water.

Loamy soil is ideal for agriculture due to its balance of drainage and nutrient retention.

Question 12

True or False:

Nocturnal (night) animals are affected by car headlights.

Answer 12

True.

Bright lights can temporarily blind animals, causing confusion and disorientation.

Question 13

Science History:

What happened after wild rabbits were introduced into Australia?

Answer 13

They reproduced rapidly and became serious pests, damaging crops and plant life, affecting other animals and humans.

Question 14

Science History:

What happened to potatoes in Ireland in 1845, and what was the result?

Answer 14

A type of fungus attacked potatoes, causing many potato plants to die, which led leading to starvation.

Question 15

What makes up a population?

Answer 15

Organisms of the same kind that live together in the same area make up a population.

Question 16

What is the availability of food?

Answer 16

It refers to how much food there is or how easy it is to get food.

Question 17

What living things are producers, and what do they do?

Answer 17

Plants are producers; they make food for themselves and provide food for other living things.

Question 18

Which living things are consumers, and what do they consume?

Answer 18

Animals are consumers; they eat other organisms to survive.

Question 19

Which living things are decomposers, and what do they do?

BONUS: Are decomposers always beneficial?

Answer 19

Fungi and bacteria are decomposers; they break down dead things and release nutrients (for plants to absorb)

BONUS: No, some fungi and bacteria can cause harm to other living things.

Question 20

What is a community?

Answer 20

A community is formed when populations live together and interact with one another.

Question 21

What is a garden habitat?

Answer 21

A garden is a place where people grow different types of plants, attracting various animals.

Question 22

What are common organisms living in a garden? Give examples.

Answer 22

Common organisms include:

1. flowering plants (grass, fruit trees, orchids)
2. non-flowering plants (ferns)
3. small animals (frogs, butterflies, earthworms, ants)

Question 23

What are examples of organisms in a garden?

Answer 23

Common organisms include:

1. flowering plants (grass, fruit trees, orchids)
2. non-flowering plants (ferns)
3. small animals (frogs, butterflies, earthworms, ants)

Question 24

What factors affect the survival of an organism in a habitat?

Hint: There are 3 groups of factors!

Answer 24

1. Physical conditions of the environment

( temperature, light, water , air, soil)

2. Availability of food

( how much, or how easy to get)

3. Presence of other living things

(Producers, Consumers, Decomposers)

Question 25

Where do most animals in a field habitat **live**? Give examples.

Answer 25

Most animals in a field live **in the ground**. These may include ants, grasshoppers, millipedes, and earthworms.

Question 26

What is a field habitat?

Answer 26

A field consists of an **open piece of level land** covered with **a main type of plant**, typically grass.

Question 27

What is the importance of plants to animals in a pond?

Answer 27

Plants in a pond **provide shelter for animals** and **produce oxygen** essential for aquatic life.

Question 28

Are there many or few types of animals that live in a pond habitat? Give examples of some.

Answer 28

Many types of animals live in a pond habitat; Common ones include birds, fish, frogs, insects, and snails.

Question 29

Habitats: What is a pond?

Answer 29

A pond is a shallow body of water with a mud-covered bottom.

Question 30

Why must a pond not be overcrowded with floating plants?

Answer 30

Overcrowding can **prevent underwater plants from receiving enough sunlight** to produce food and oxygen.

Question 31

What organisms are found in a seashore habitat?

Answer 31

Organisms in a seashore habitat include seaweeds, clams, snails, crabs, barnacles, starfishes, mussels, sea anemones, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins.

Question 32

What is a seashore habitat?

Answer 32

The seashore is the **stretch of land next to the sea**, with varying conditions for organisms.

Question 33

What is the consequence of a field having few types of plants?

Answer 33

There are **fewer types of animals** living there.

Question 34

Why are bigger animals, such as birds and rats, occasionally seen on fields?

Answer 34

They come to look for food.

Question 35

True or False: A pond habitat includes only aquatic (water-living) organisms.

Answer 35

False. A pond habitat includes organisms that live in the water, **and those around it**. Different plants and animals live in *different parts* of a pond.

Question 36

List 3 different parts of a pond habitat where plants can be found, and give characteristics of the plants there.

Answer 36

1. The **sides** of the pond: Plants *grow out of the water*, and *provide shelter* for animals living around the pond. 2. The **water surface**: Plants either *float freely*, or have *roots attached to bottom with leaves floating* on the surface. 3. **Underwater**: Some plants grow *fully underwater*, and are *very important* as they *provide most of the oxygen* in the water.

Question 37

Describe the conditions of different parts of a seashore, and give examples of organisms that live in each. Hint: There are 3 “levels”

Answer 37

1. The **upper** part - *exposed to air and sunlight*, it is *hot and dry*. *Few* organisms live here. 2. The **middle** section - *most organisms* live here; these include seaweeds, clams, snails, crabs, and starfishes 3. The **lower** part - *underwater most of the time*, organisms living here such as mussels, sea anemones, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins, *cannot tolerate hot and dry conditions*.

Question 38

What is a plant habitat? What might be found in them?

Answer 38

A **plant itself can be a habitat**, and support a community. **Other plants** (algae, mosses, and ferns), and **small animals** (ants, lizards, birds) may form a community in a plant habitat.

Question 39

Where are mangroves found, and what organisms live in a mangrove habitat?

Answer 39

Mangroves are plants that are **found near the shoreline where the tides come in and go out**. Mangrove habitats provide food and shelter for fish, birds, crabs, shrimps, and other marine life. Small animals live on the tree tops - These include birds, lizards, and many kinds of insects

Question 40

What are mangroves? What is a typical feature of mangroves?

Answer 40

Mangroves are **trees or shrubs that grow in shallow, saltwater areas**. They have **special roots** to *anchor the plants* firmly to the ground.

Question 41

What are producers?

Answer 41

Plants, also known as producers, use light energy from the Sun to produce their own food (sugar) from carbon dioxide and water.

Question 42

What are consumers?

Answer 42

Animals are consumers. Some animals eat plants and some animals eat other animals.

Question 43

What is a food chain?

Answer 43

A food chain **shows how each living thing gets its food**. Arrows are drawn from the sources of food to their consumers.

Question 44

What is the main source of energy for the survival of **all** living things? How does this energy flow in a food chain? What conclusion can be made about the energy in the bodies of animals?

Answer 44

**The Sun** is the main source of energy for the survival of all living things. The plants use energy from the Sun to make their food, which goes into animals that eat the plants, and then goes to the predators who eat the herbivores. Plant —> Herbivore —> Carnivore The energy in the bodies of the animals can be traced back to plants.

Question 45

What are the types of consumers?

Answer 45

Consumers are grouped into carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores.

Question 46

What are herbivores?

Answer 46

Animals that eat only plants are called herbivores (plant-eaters).

Question 47

What are carnivores?

Answer 47

Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores (animal-eaters).

Question 48

What are omnivores?

Answer 48

Animals who eat both animals and plants are called omnivores (plant-and-animal eaters).

Question 49

What happens to energy in a food chain?

Answer 49

Some amount of energy is lost at each link in the food chain. The amount of energy that is transferred gets lesser and lesser.

Question 50

What are **epiphytes**? What is a characteristic of epiphytes? Give examples of epiphtes

Answer 50

**Plants that grow on another plant** (or an object) are called epiphytes. They **attach themselves** to another plant (or object) for **physical support**. Examples of epiphytes are **orchids**, bromeliads, and lianas.

Question 51

What are predators?

Answer 51

**Animals that hunt other animals for food** are called predators.

Question 52

What are prey?

Answer 52

**Animals that are hunted and eaten** by predators are called prey

Question 53

Using the following Food Chain, describe how **interdependence** of the populations within the food chain helps maintain the **balance** of plant and animal populations. Plant —-> Rabbit —-> Owl

Answer 53

A change in size of one population affects the other populations. Too many rabbits = not enough plants for them to eat… many rabbits starve and die. Too few rabbits = population of owls (which feed on rabbits) is affected… some starve and die

Question 54

Are most animals part of only one food chain? What is a *food web*?

Answer 54

No, most animals are part of **more than one food chain**. A food web is an **interconnection of many food chains**