CK12 Life Science

2. List three abiotic components of importance to trees living in a forest.


3. Give an example of an organism filling a vacant niche.


4. Why might an introduced species become a pest?


5. How could separation of breeding periods in frogs result in niche differentiation in the
   tadpoles?


6. Name three abiotic factors that a habitat is generally described in terms of.


7. Species which travel distances between important areas for their survival, such as
   breeding and feeding areas may be particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction. How
   might the creation of multiple national parks or nature reserves help such species?

Further Reading / Supplemental Links

• Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition. Random House, New York, 1998.


• http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0164-ecosystems.php


• http://www.kids-courier.com/kids-learning/science/science-terrestrial.html


• http://www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/prairie/index.html


• http://www.epals.com/projects/ducks_unlimited


• http://www.fws.gov/endangered/kids/index.html


• http://www.blm.gov/education/LearningLandscapes/students.html


• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

Vocabulary

abiotic factors All the non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment.

biotic factors All the living components of an ecosystem.

ecosystem A natural unit consisting of all the biotic factors functioning together in an
area along with all of the abiotic factors.

habitat Ecological or environmental area where a particular species live.

niche A specific role that an organism occupies within an ecosystem.

Points to Consider

• Now that you understand what makes up an ecosystem, what additional factors do
  you think might be added to get to the next level, the biome?


• How do you think what you have learned about abiotic and biotic factors might be
  applied to the classification of different biomes?