| A | B |
|---|
| an individual organism's response to changes in its ecosystem | accommodation |
| a nonliving part of an ecosystem; Ex: soil, sunlight, water, weather patterns | abio0tic factor |
| the struggle among living things for water, food, or other resources | competition |
| a living part of an ecosystem; Ex: plants, animals, bacteria, people | biotic factor |
| the living and nonliving things in an environment and all of their interactions | ecosystem |
| the home of an organism | habitat |
| the role of an organism in an ecosystem | niche |
| an animal that hunts other animals (prey) for food | predator |
| a lving that that is hunted for food (by a predator) | prey |
| close to becoming extinct; having very few of its kind left | endangered |
| when the last of a species dies | extinct |
| What are the five resources living things compete for? | food, space, water, shelter, and sunlight |
| What might happen to a habitat that is hit by a hurricane? | The habitat may be changed or destroyed. |
| What natural events can change an ecosystem? | Hurricanes, floods, volcanoes, droughts, fire, landslide |
| What is the study of how biotic and abiotic factors interact? | ecology |
| What animal can make helpful as well as harmful changes to an ecosystem? | the beaver |
| What is any biotic or abiotic factor that controls the growth and survival of organisms? | limiting factor |
| What is an organism that lives, grows, and feeds on another organism? | a parasite; Ex: flea |
| Is an ecosystem limited in size? | No, an ecosystem can be large or small. |
| What happens to plants and animals in an ecosystem after a fire? | The plants and animals are forced to accommodate, move, or die. |
| What happens to an ecosystem if predators move in or disease spreads? | The population is decreased. |
| What might happen if trees were not available to beavers for building dams? | The beavers would probably use other materials to build dams. |
| What could happen if there are too many animals and food becomes scarce? | Some animals may not survive, or the animals may move away. |
| What might happen if space becomes overcrowded? | Aniamsl will defend their territories and chase other animals away. |
| What might happen if water disappears and demand increases? | Some animals may move away or dig holes looking for water. |
| Do animals reuse habitats from year to year? | Yes, they do; they might just add new materials. |
| Who do low plants compete for sunlight with? | They compete with tall trees which block the sunlight. |
| Where do vines compete for sunlight? | Vines compete for sunlight at the top of trees. |
