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ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS

1. FOOD CHAINS

Every living thing needs energy in order to live. Animals get

energy from ______________. Plants use sunlight, water and

nutrients to get energy in a process called ____________________.

Energy is necessary for living beings to grow. A food chain

shows how each living thing gets food. A food chain always

starts with plant life and ends with an animal. A food chain

shows the path of energy from one living thing to another.

Can you complete the following food chain by inserting the word in the correct box?

INSECT PLANT OWL MOUSE

Herbivores are animals that ________________________________________________________________________

Some examples of herbivores are __________________________________________________________________

Carnivores are animals that _______________________________________________________________________

Some examples of carnivores are _________________________________________________________________

Omnivores are animals that _______________________________________________________________________

Some examples of omnivores are __________________________________________________________________

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Decomposers are animals that ____________________________________________________________________

Some examples of decomposers are _______________________________________________________________

Producers produce ________________________________________________ whilst consumers _____________

___________________________________________.

Predators are animals that ___________________________________________e.g. __________________________

Prey are animals that ___________________________________________________e.g._________________________

Scavengers are animals that __________________________________________e.g.__________________________

Label the following as producers or consumers:

Complete the following food chain by drawing in the appropriate items:

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HOMEWORK

MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD CHAIN AT HOME. YOU CAN USE YOUR PC, DRAWINGS OR CUT

OUTS FROM MAGAZINES.

2. FOOD WEBS Most animals are part of more than one food chain and eat more than one kind of food in order to meet their food and energy requirements. These interconnected food chains form a food web. For example in the food web below you find a number of food chains.

Amongst which are :- Food chain 1: GRASS RABBIT HAWK

Food chain 2 : GRASS CATERPILLAR THRUSH HAWK

Can you find another two food chains?

Food chain 3:_________________________________________________________________________________________

Food chain 4:_________________________________________________________________________________________

Example 2:

Underline the producer:

eagle, snake, wolf, rabbit, squirrel, frog, butterfly, bird, worm, cherry tree.

What are the other living things called? ________________

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Fill in the following table by ticking the correct column:

carnivore omnivore herbivore

eagle

snake

wolf

rabbit

squirrel

frog

butterfly

bird

worm

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Example 3

From the food web above:

a) List two food chains

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b) List the three food chains that end with the hawk

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c) Can you mention one predator? ___________________________________

d) Can you mention one producer? ___________________________________

e) Can you mention one carnivore? __________________________________

f) Can you mention one herbivore? __________________________________

g) Can you mention an omnivore? ___________________________________

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3. POPULATIONS AND PYRAMID OF NUMBERS A population is ____________________________________________________________

The population of each organism in a food chain can be shown in a pyramid of numbers.

The more organisms there are, the wider the bar. The producer in the food chain always

goes at the bottom of the pyramid of numbers as below.

Can you draw a pyramid of numbers for the following?

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DISCUSS What affects animal populations? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Food webs help to keep the balance of plant and animal populations within a community.

For example, when there are too many zebras; there will be insufficient shrubs and grass

for all of them to eat. Many zebras will starve and die. Fewer zebras means more time for

the shrubs and grass to grow to maturity and multiply. Fewer zebras also mean less food is

available for the lions to eat and some lions will starve to death. When there are fewer

lions, the zebra population will increase.

Example

When there is no rain in the African grasslands:

i) What will happen to the grass?___________________________________________________

ii) What might happen to the animals?

______________________________________________________________________________

iii) Is the lion affected?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

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4. HABITATS A habitat is a particular type of environment regarded as a home for organisms. A habitat must provide the food, water, shelter and oxygen that organisms need to survive. Can you list some animals that live in the desert habitat?

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Can you describe the desert habitat?

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Can you list some animals that live in the forest habitat?

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Can you describe the forest habitat?

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Can you list some animals that live in the jungle habitat?

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Can you describe the jungle habitat?

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Can you list some animals that live in the ocean habitat?

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Can you describe the ocean habitat?

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Can you list some animals that live in the ocean habitat?

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Can you describe the arctic habitat?

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6. ADAPTATIONS Adaptations such as physical features help organisms survive in their habitat. Whether it's a the searing heat of deserts or the bitter cold of the polar regions, plants, animals and other organisms have evolved many coping strategies, adaptations. Example Look at the following animals. Write down whether each one is a predator or prey.

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For each of these animals write down 2 adaptations that it has for either catching prey or

avoiding being eaten.

Lion

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Eagle

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Deer

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Fox

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Rabbit

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Name two adaptations that many predators have for catching and killing prey

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Name two adaptations that many prey have to avoid being eaten

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Copy and complete the sentences using words from the box:

adapted environment habitat organisms physical

Living things are called __________________________. The area where an organism lives is called a __________________________. The surroundings of an organism are called its __________________________. The conditions in an environment are caused by __________________________ environmental factors. Animals and plants have to be __________________________ to the conditions where they live.

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