5.12A Test Ecosystem Interdependence and Roles

Front

What is an ecosystem?

Back

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals, and microorganisms) interacting with their physical environment (abiotic factors like water, soil, and climate).

Front

What are biotic factors?

Back

Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria.

Front

What are abiotic factors?

Back

Abiotic factors are the non-living components of an ecosystem, including sunlight, water, temperature, soil, and air.

Front

How do plants obtain energy?

Back

Plants obtain energy through photosynthesis, using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce glucose and oxygen.

Front

How do animals obtain energy?

Back

Animals obtain energy by consuming plants or other animals (herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat animals, and omnivores eat both).

Front

What is interdependence in an ecosystem?

Back

Interdependence refers to the reliance of organisms on each other for survival, such as plants providing oxygen for animals and animals providing carbon dioxide for plants.

Front

Give an example of a biotic factor interacting with an abiotic factor.

Back

A lizard resting on a rock is an example of a biotic factor (the lizard) interacting with an abiotic factor (the rock).

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and helping to recycle materials in the ecosystem.

Front

What is a food chain?

Back

A food chain is a linear sequence that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to another in an ecosystem.

Front

What is a food web?

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A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing how different organisms are related through feeding relationships.