KS3 Biology

8D Ecological
Relationships
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 Contents

8D Ecological Relationships

Classifying animals and plants

Habitats and adaptations

Feeding types

Food chains and populations

Summary activities

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 Contents

8D Ecological Relationships

Classifying animals and plants

Habitats and adaptations

Feeding types

Food chains and populations

Summary activities

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 Which habitat?

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 Surviving in a habitat
Organisms need to have special features which help
them to survive in their habitat. These special features
are called adaptations.

For example, you have plenty of adaptations to survive

in your habitat. Your fingers are an excellent
adaptation. Without their ability to grip you would not be
able to do all of that schoolwork!

Some adaptations are obvious while others are not so

obvious.

Can you think of any other adaptations that you have?

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 Adaptations activity

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 Contents

8D Ecological Relationships

Classifying animals and plants

Habitats and adaptations

Feeding types

Food chains and populations

Summary activities

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 Feeding types
Animals can be grouped in several ways. One way of doing
this is based on how animals feed.
Some organisms are producers.
Producers make their own food.
Plants produce their own food using
light energy from the Sun. Some types
of bacteria can also make their own food
by using light or chemical reactions.

Consumers cannot make

their own food. They must
consume other organisms to
get the food that they need.

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 Producer or consumer?

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 Consumers
Consumers can be grouped into different types:

Herbivores
These consumers eat producers.
This means plants and possibly bacteria.

Carnivores
These consumers eat other consumers.
They eat animals.

Omnivores
These consumers eat other consumers
and producers. They eat animals and
plants. Most humans are omnivores.

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 Contents

8D Ecological Relationships

Classifying animals and plants

Habitats and adaptations

Feeding types

Food chains and populations

Summary activities

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 Changes in food chain populations
The organisms in a food chain are dependent on each other.
Changes in the number of organisms in one part of the food
chain can have dramatic effects on the rest of the food chain.

grass rabbit fox

What would happen to the number of rabbits and foxes

if all the grass died out?

 Rabbit numbers would decrease because they would

have less to eat and may starve or stop reproducing.
 Fox numbers would also fall as there would not be as
many rabbits to eat.

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 Food chain populations

plankton shrimp tuna dolphin

1. It has been a very bad year for plankton. Due to the lack of
food their numbers have dropped dramatically.
Use the sliders to show how this will affect the numbers of the
other members of the food chain.

Shrimp numbers indicator

Tuna numbers indicator

Dolphin numbers indicator

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 Food chain populations

plankton shrimp tuna dolphin

2. Dolphins are often killed by being caught in the driftnets of
fisherman. More dolphins than ever have been killed in this
particular year and so the number of dolphins is very low.
Use the sliders to show how this will affect the numbers of the
other members of the food chain.

Shrimp numbers indicator

Tuna numbers indicator

Dolphin numbers indicator

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 Food chain populations

plankton shrimp tuna dolphin

3. Due to a mysterious disease the number of tuna has dropped
dramatically.
Use the sliders to show how this will affect the numbers of the
other members of the food chain.

Shrimp numbers indicator

Tuna numbers indicator

Dolphin numbers indicator

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 Food chain populations

plankton shrimp tuna dolphin

4. Large numbers of shrimp larvae did not develop properly and
because of this shrimp numbers have declined.
Use the sliders to show how this will affect the numbers of the
other members of the food chain.

Shrimp numbers indicator

Tuna numbers indicator

Dolphin numbers indicator

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 Contents

8D Ecological Relationships

Classifying animals and plants

Habitats and adaptations

Feeding types

Food chains and populations

Summary activities

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 Glossary
 adaptation – A feature that helps an organism live in a
particular place.
 carnivore – An organism that only eats other animals.
 consumer – An organism that feeds on plants or animals.
 food chain – A sequence that shows feeding relationships
and the transfer of energy between organisms.
 herbivore – An organism that only eats plants.
 omnivore – An organism that eats both plants and animals.
 population – The number of organisms of a species living
in a habitat.
 producer – A plant that makes food by photosynthesis.

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 Anagrams

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 Multiple-choice quiz

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