Grade 7 Science

Cluster 1: Interactions Within Ecosystems

1. What are organisms? Organisms are living things. Scientists

classify things as living or non-living. Living things, such as
humans, plants, birds, and insects are called biotic parts of the
environment. Non-living things, such as air, water and soil are
called abiotic parts of the environment.
2. What are individuals, populations, and communities? An individual is one organism. A
group of individuals of the same species, living together in one place at one time is called
a biological population. Populations do not live all by themselves. They share their
environment and interact with populations of other species. A
biological community is made up of all the populations that
live in one area. Examples of biological communities are parks,
oceans, fields or ponds.
3. What is a habitat? In every community, each species has a
particular area where it lives. This place is called its habitat. Within
a park community, for example, the habitat of an earthworm is the
soil. The habitat for birds would be the branches of trees. The
habitat for squirrels could be the trunks of trees.
4. What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is the interactions
between abiotic features of an area and the biotic community
that lives in that area. In other words, it is the relationships
between all living and non-living things in an area. An
ecosystem could range from a small drop of pond water where
microscopic organisms interact to the entire biosphere.
5. What are biomes? A biome is a large area with
characteristic climate, soil, plants and animals. For
example tropical rain forests or deserts are types of
biomes.
6. What is the biosphere? All of the places on Earth
where life can exist and interact with the physical
environment, taken together, form the biosphere. This
thin area around the Earth that can sustain life is made
up of the atmosphere (the air around us), the
hydrosphere (water including oceans, lakes and
rivers) and the lithosphere (solid mineral material
including rock and soil)

Grade 7 Science
Cluster 1: Interactions Within Ecosystems

7. What is a food chain? A food chain is a sequence of feeding relationships among living
organisms, as they pass on food energy. The food chain always begins with a plant. Plants
are called producers because they produce food for themselves and other organisms.
Other organisms that eat the plants are called consumers. Some consumers eat only
plants. These are called herbivores or primary consumers because they are the first
consumers to eat something else on the food chain. Some consumers eat only other
consumers or animals. These are called carnivores. If a carnivore eats only herbivores it
is called a secondary consumer. If a carnivore eats other carnivores, it is called a tertiary
consumer. Some consumers, such as humans eat both plants and animals. They are called
omnivores. An example of a food chain is shown below:
grass grasshopper robin - domestic cat

8. What is a food web? A food web

is
a
network of
feeding
relationships among organisms.
Most plants and animals are part of
more than one food chain. A food
web is a combination of several
food chains.

Grade 7 Science
Cluster 1: Interactions Within Ecosystems

9. What is a pyramid of numbers? A pyramid of numbers is a

model of an ecosystem that represents the number of organisms
consumed at each level of a food chain. The number of
organisms decreases with each level higher in the food chain.
There are a greater number of organisms at the bottom of the
food chain than at the top.

10. What is bioaccumulation? When an animal eats another animal as part of the food
chain, it can sometimes be affected by poisons from the animal being eaten. If a hawk
eats a shrew that has been feeding on grasshoppers that have been feeding on crops
sprayed with DDT, then the poison can be passed all the way
up to the hawk. The hawks body will try to get rid of the
poison, but sometimes it can not get rid of it as quickly as it
should and the poison accumulates in its body. This is called
bioaccumulation. Pollutants from a factory can end up in
water and affect fish as the poison accumulates in the fishs
bodies.
11. What are scavengers? A scavenger is an organism that eats dead or decaying plant or
animal matter. Carrion beetles and ravens are examples of scavengers.

12. What are decomposers? Decomposers are organisms that break

down the cells of dead or waste materials and absorb their nutrients;
many bacteria and fungi are decomposers.

Grade 7 Science
Cluster 1: Interactions Within Ecosystems

13. What is photosynthesis? Photosynthesis is the process by which plants make their
own food by
using
sunlight.

Photosynthesis: water + carbon dioxide + light energy = sugar + oxygen in the presence of chlorophyll.

14. What is cellular respiration? Living things release the energy that is stored in their
food (in the form of sugars) through a process called cellular respiration. The sugars
(stored energy) are combined with oxygen to release the energy and give off carbon
dioxide as a bi-product. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are part of the cycling of
matter and the transfer of energy in ecosystems.
Cellular respiration: sugar + oxygen = water + carbon dioxide + energy.

15. What is symbiosis? Symbiosis is when two species live closely together in a
relationship that lasts over time. There are three main types of symbiotic relationships,
parasitism, mutualism and commensalism.

Grade 7 Science
Cluster 1: Interactions Within Ecosystems

16. What is parasitism? Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in

which one partner benefits and the other partner is harmed. An
example would be a louse that feeds on the blood of mammals. In
this case the mammal would be called the host. The louse would
benefit from this relationship because it would get food, but the
mammal would be harmed. A mosquito on a human would be
another example of parasitism.
17. What is mutualism? Mutualism is a relationship between two different organisms, in
which each partner benefits from the relationship. Termites are insects that feed on wood,
but they cant break down the wood on their own to get the nutrients. Single-celled
micro-organisms called protozoa live in the digestive tract of the
termites. They digest the wood and the termites live on the
protozoas waste products. Both the termite and the protozoa
benefit from this relationship.
18. What is commensalism? Commensalism is a symbiotic
relationship in which one partner benefits and the other partner
does not appear either to lose or gain from the relationship. For
example, clownfish live among the poisonous tentacles of sea
anemone where it finds safety and eats the scraps left over from
the anemones dinner. There is no obvious benefit or cost to the
anemone.
19. What is succession? Succession is the process by which new
species gradually replace old species in an ecosystem. For
example, weeds, and eventually larger plants such as trees may
take over a neglected, vacant lot. As new plants appear, they
will also attract different animals.

20: What are limiting factors? A limiting factor in an ecosystem is an

abiotic or biotic factor that maintains balance by limiting the number
of individuals in a population. Limiting factors include such things as
predator-prey relationships, competition for resources, diseases and
parasites, climate changes and weather patterns and forest fires.