Living Things and the Environment (pages 6 11) Habitats (page 7) Key Concept: An organism obtains food, water, shelter, and other things it needs to live, grow, and reproduce from its environment. An organism is a living thing. You are an organism. A habitat is a place that an organism needs to live, grow, and reproduce. A pond is a frog s habitat. Different organisms live in different habitats. They live in different habitats because they have different needs. 1. Read each word in the box. In each sentence below, fill in one of the words. organism environment habitat a. A living thing is also called a(an). b. A place that a living thing needs to live, grow, and reproduce is called a(an). 2. Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about habitats. a. One area may contain many habitats. b. Different organisms live in different habitats. c. Each area has only one habitat. 4
Biotic Factors (page 7) Key Concept: An organism interacts with the living parts of its habitat. Each organism affects all the other organisms in its habitat. All the other organisms also affect it. The living parts of a habitat include all the living things in it. The living things include all the different plants and animals, for example. The living parts of a habitat are called biotic (by AHT ik) factors. Biotic factors include animals, plants, and other organisms. Populations and Communities 3. Is the following sentence true or false? Each organism affects all the other organisms in its habitat. 4. The living parts of a habitat are called factors. Abiotic Factors (page 8) Key Concept: An organism interacts with the nonliving parts of its habitat. Each organism affects all the nonliving parts of its habitat. The nonliving parts also affect it. The nonliving parts of a habitat are called abiotic factors. Abiotic factors include water, sunlight, oxygen, temperature, and soil. Plants and algae need certain abiotic factors to make their own food. The food-making process is called photosynthesis (foh toh SIN thuh sis). To carry out photosynthesis, plants and algae need water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight. 5
Most living things need oxygen to carry out the processes that keep them alive. You get oxygen from the air you breathe. ideas on page 5 and above. 5. Complete the concept map about abiotic factors by filling in the blanks in the circles. Abiotic factors include Water b. a. Oxygen 6. Read each word in the box. In each sentence below, fill in the correct word or words. abiotic factors photosynthesis biotic factors a. Plants make their own food in a process called. b. The nonliving parts of a habitat are called. 6
Levels of Organization (pages 9 11) Key Concept: The smallest level of organization is a single organism, which belongs to a population that includes other members of its species. The population belongs to a community of different species. The community and abiotic factors together form an ecosystem. A species (SPEE sheez) is a group of organisms that look alike and can mate with one another. For example, all lions are of the same species. A population includes all the members of the same species that live in an area. All the different populations in an area make up a community. All the plants and animals that live in the same forest are a community. An ecosystem is the community of organisms in an area and the nonliving parts of the area. Ecology is the study of how living things affect one another. Ecology also is the study of how living things affect the environment and how the environment affects living things. Scientists who study ecology are called ecologists. 7. Complete the diagram below. The diagram shows levels of organization in an ecosystem. The diagram begins at the left with the smallest level of organization. Organism a. b. Ecosystem 7
8. Draw a line from each term to its meaning. Term community ecosystem ecology population species Meaning a. group of organisms that look alike and can mate with one another b. all the members of the same species that live in an area c. the study of how living things affect each other and the environment d. all the different populations in an area e. the community of organisms in an area and the nonliving parts of the area 8