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Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a group of many different populations of living organisms,
from all five or six kingdoms, and the abiotic factors that influence them;
temperature, precipitation, and the type of soil especially.
Lake, Wetland, Pine Forest, Prairie, River, Ocean Coastline, Deciduous Forest
are all examples of ecosystems.
1) Does energy cycle through an ecosystem to be used again and again or does
it flow through an ecosystem to be used only once?
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2) Where does all the energy used in an ecosystem (or an organism) originate?
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6) List four general types of producers. ______________________________
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8) Read and examine the picture at the top of page 24. Why is the caterpillar
identified as a primary (first) consumer and the bird is identified as a
secondary (second) consumer?
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9) If the diagram had a hawk eating the bird, what do you think the hawk
would be identified as?
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13) Read about food chains on page 26, examine the wetland food chain on
page 27 and then draw a food chain using the organisms listed below.
Remember, in a food chain the arrows always show the direction the
energy is flowing through the ecosystem.
14) Match the following from the food chain in number 13.
15) A food chain is a single strand showing how energy flows through an
ecosystem. How would you explain what a food web is?
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Examine the food web on page 27 and answer the following questions.
16) What would happen to the bulrush population if all the cattails were
removed from the wetland ecosystem?
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17) What would happen to the blackbird population if all the frogs were
removed from the wetland ecosystem?
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18) What would happen to the snail population if all the Herons were
removed from the wetland ecosystem?
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20) Why did ecologist choose a pyramid that is smaller on top and larger on
the bottom as the shape for this diagram?
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21) In the space below draw an energy pyramid for the food chain you made
in question 13.