Natural Science - Term 4 - Week 7

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with their environment. It includes both biotic factors, such as plants and animals, and abiotic factors, like water, soil, and climate. Understanding how these components work together is crucial for studying natural science. This week, we will focus on the relationships within ecosystems, including food chains and food webs.

Let's consider a forest ecosystem. In this ecosystem, we can identify various plants like trees and shrubs, animals such as deer and birds, and abiotic factors like sunlight and rainfall. For instance, trees provide shelter and food for birds, while birds help in pollination. By mapping out these relationships, we can better understand the ecosystem's dynamics.

In pairs, students will match key vocabulary words related to ecosystems with their definitions. Words include 'producer', 'consumer', 'decomposer', 'habitat', and 'niche'. After matching, each pair will share their matches with the class, discussing why they chose those definitions and how they relate to ecosystems.

Students will independently create a food chain based on an ecosystem of their choice. They will draw the food chain, label the producers, consumers, and decomposers, and write a brief explanation of how energy flows through their food chain. This activity will help reinforce their understanding of the interdependence of organisms within an ecosystem.

• An organism that eats other organisms
• An organism that makes its own food
• An organism that breaks down dead matter
• An organism that lives in a habitat

Answer: An organism that makes its own food

Producers, such as plants, use photosynthesis to create their own food.

• Trees
• Animals
• Water
• Bacteria

Answer: Water

Abiotic factors are non-living components of an ecosystem, such as water, sunlight, and soil.

• They produce energy
• They consume plants
• They break down dead organisms
• They compete for resources

Answer: They break down dead organisms

Decomposers recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem by breaking down dead matter.

Answer: A habitat is the natural environment where an organism lives.

Habitats provide the necessary resources for organisms to survive, including food, shelter, and mates.

Answer: A food chain is a linear sequence that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to another.

Food chains illustrate the feeding relationships between different organisms in an ecosystem.

• An organism that creates energy
• An organism that eats other organisms
• An organism that decomposes matter
• An organism that provides shelter

Answer: An organism that eats other organisms

Consumers rely on other organisms for food, as they cannot produce their own.

• Water
• Soil