Answers   11

2. a. To kill any microbes that might be there, to see if the soil would release CO2 by itself.
b. No – but if you answered ‘Yes’, you’d be in very good company – many scientists got very excited by
these results!
3. No! (But it’s not ruled out, either…)

Producers, consumers and decomposers (page 45)

1. a. producers.
b. consumers.
c. herbivores.
d. carnivores.
e. omnivores.
f. bacteria, fungi, decomposers.
2. a. Fly ➞ Spider ➞ Bird ➞ Cat ➞ Dog ➞ Cow
b. The cow, because cows don’t eat dogs!

Plants are useful (page 46)

1. Plant trail Substance
Grass Cows A type of sugar from milk Lactose
Grass Cows’ skins (also from other animals) Leather
Trees Wood pulp Paper
Grass Sheep Wool
Fossil plants Coal
Cotton plants Cotton ‘buds’
Bark of the willow tree Aspirin
Plant seeds (eg soy oil from soy beans) Cooking oils
Gum tree leaves Eucalyptus oil
Trees Timber
Oil of palm and olive seeds ‘Palmolive’ soap
Grape juice Wine
Barley seeds (hops added) Malt Beer
Leaves of tea plants Tea
Wheat seeds Flour Pasta
Grass Cows Milk Cheese
Clover flowers Nectar Clover honey
Fermented soy beans Soy sauce
Grass Cows Fermented milk Yoghurt
Fermented cacao beans Chocolate (flavour)
Pine trees Turpentine

2. Grass!
3. Salt – there are very few!