Day 1: The Earth & its Habitats

What is NOT a requirement for an adequate habitat?

• Space

• Water

• Mammals

• Shelter

Answer explanation

An adequate habitat with suitable arrangement is when an organism can possess food, shelter, water, and space.

Select the two options that correctly complete the statement. Shelter ______

• provides protection from an organism’s predators and the weather

• requires a lot of space in order to survive

• serves as a space for hunting for prey

• consists of trees

Answer explanation

Shelter provides protection from an organism’s predators and the weather. It also serves as a space for sleeping, hunting, eating, and raising a family. Many animals, like eels, use their shelter to their advantage to hunt prey. Eels are notorious for hiding from within crevices in coral reefs in order to launch sneak attacks on their prey.

Big herds of herbivores in grasslands require a lot of (a)   in order to survive

Answer explanation

All organisms require space, although their specific requirements may vary from needing a lot of space to not needing much space at all. Big herds of herbivores in grasslands require a lot of space in order to survive, and consequentially, without these big herds, their predators would not be able to survive.

Select the habitat that fits this description. This habitat is found on every continent in the world. They are often in regions that receive very little to no rainfall.

• Rivers

• Estuaries

• Forests

• Deserts

Answer explanation

Deserts are a type of habitat that are dry and barren, receiving intense sunshine and very little rain. Found on every continent in the world, deserts barely consist of vegetation with some areas devoid of vegetation altogether.

Select the habitat that fits this description. This habitat is a cross between forests and deserts. They're also known as prairies.

• Tundra

• Grasslands

• Mangrove Forests

• Coral Reefs

Answer explanation

Grasslands are found sometimes between forests and deserts. They don’t have enough rainfall to support a forest, but they don’t have less amounts of rainfall to become a desert, either. They exist on every continent with the exception of Antarctica.

Coral reefs are _____

• Rocks

• Animals

• Plants

• Shells

Answer explanation

Corals are actually animals made up of thousands of tiny animals called polyps which feed on the algae living on their tissues.

Wetlands are sometimes called the Earth's _____

• 'heart'

• 'liver'

• 'lungs'

• 'kidneys'

Answer explanation

Wetlands are the Earth’s natural filters as they can filter the water that passes through them; they can hold pollutants such as heavy metals, fertilizer runoff, and phosphorus and can also neutralize harmful bacteria by breaking down suspended solids. Due to this special feature, they are known as the Earth’s 'kidneys’ for its ecosystems.

Which of these is not a type of forest?

• Boreal forests

• Tropical forests

• Manorial forests

• Temperate forests

What habitat would this be classified as?

• Wetland

• Desert

• Forest

• Grassland

Which of these is NOT an example of an ecosystem?

• Rainforest
• A city
• Desert
• Deep ocean