Ecosystems and Ecology
Unit Review Sheet
These facts and definitions should be mastered throughout this unit. This page can be used for periodic review and study as you are finishing the unit and in the future.
Facts and Definitions
Lesson 1: Ecosystems
- An ecosystem is a system formed by the interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment.
- A producer is an organism that makes its own food.
- A consumer is an organism that eats other organisms for food.
- A decomposer is an organism that breaks down dead or decaying material.
- Biotic refers to something that is alive.
- Abiotic refers to something that is not alive.
Lesson 2: Symbiotic Relationships
- Symbiosis occurs when two dissimilar organisms live together, where one depends on the other or where both organisms depend on each other for survival.
Lesson 3: Natural Resources
- A non-renewable resource cannot be regrown, remade, or regenerated.
- A renewable resource is remade naturally.
- An inexhaustible resource is one that will never be used up.
- Wind power captures the energy of air currents using rotating blades.
- Solar power uses sunlight to make energy that can power traffic lights, heat water, and provide electricity for homes.
- Hydro power captures energy from moving water and converts it into electricity.
Lesson 4: Environmental Changes
- Pollution is harmful substances or products that are introduced into the environment.
Lesson 5: Caring for the Earth
- Ecology is the study of the interactions between living things and their environments.
- Only a small amount of the water on Earth is fresh water that living things can drink.
Final Project: Design Your Own Ecosystem
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