S3U4L1 - Ecosystems and Interactions Part 3

S3U4L1 - Ecosystems and Interactions Part 3

What kind of habitats do humans live in?

• The most common places for humans to live include forests, deserts, savannahs, rain forests, wetlands, and grasslands.

• Some humans live in the tundra.

• Humans would have a difficult time living in an ocean or lake habitat unless they lived in a boat.

Can you think of examples of plants and animals in a desert habitat that depend on one another?

• A saguaro cactus depends on a particular kind of bat to spread its pollen by drinking nectar from its flowers. This helps the saguaro make new seeds.

• The Gila woodpecker makes a hole in the trunk of a saguaro cactus so it has a safe place to build a nest.

Saguaro Cactus

Gila Woodpecker

What do you think would happen if an organism that other plants and animals depended on were removed from an ecosystem?

Multiple Choice

What do you think would happen if an organism that other plants and animals depended on were removed from an ecosystem?

• either plant or animal will have a harder time surviving

• either plant or animal will just be as fine

• either plant or animal will go to extinction

What do you think would happen if an organism that other plants and animals depended on were removed from an ecosystem?

• If a particular organism were removed from an ecosystem, the plants and animals that depended on it would have a harder time surviving.

Multiple Choice

What do you think would happen if you did not have plants for food?

• you will eat meat and you will be fine

• you will have water, meat and rice and you will be fine

• you will get sick

What do you think would happen if you did not have plants for food?

• Your body needs the nutrients that you can get from plants. If you did not eat any plants, you would get sick.

Do all people use plants and animals the same way?

Do all people use plants and animals the same way?

• People’s needs may change slightly depending on what kind of environment they live in.

• For instance, people in very hot and dry environments may not need heavy animal wool to make clothes. Instead, they may use cotton from plants, which makes a lighter fabric.

• People in cold areas would be more likely to use wool to make warm clothes for themselves.

Open Ended

Can you think of ways that plants or animals might depend on you?

If you have pets, they depend on you to feed them and take care of them. 

Have you ever had a prickly burr attached to your clothing? You were helping a plant spread its seeds to someplace new.

What clues did you use to sort the images?

• You probably looked at the characteristics of the images.

• For instance, you’ve learned that a desert is hot and dry, with sandy or rocky soil, so you know that the image that shows an environment like that is a desert.

• The plants and animals that live there must be able to live in a dry environment. So the cactus and the lizard are the most likely choices.

Multiple Select

What kind of habitats do humans live in?

• forest

• desert

• savannah

• ocean

What kind of habitats do humans live in?

• The most common places for humans to live include forests, deserts, savannahs, rain forests, wetlands, and grasslands.

• Some humans live in the tundra.

• Humans would have a difficult time living in an ocean or lake habitat unless they lived in a boat.