Science: Biomes and Ecosystems Worksheet

Question 1

Explain the difference between a biome and an ecosystem.

Accepted Answer

A biome is a large region with a particular climate, plants, and animals, such as a desert or tundra. An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and with nonliving parts of their environment in a specific place.

Question 2

Name two abiotic factors in an ecosystem and explain how each one can affect living things.

Accepted Answer

Two abiotic factors are temperature and water availability. Temperature affects which organisms can survive in an area, and water availability affects plant growth and the animals that depend on those plants.

Question 3

A region has very low rainfall, hot days, cool nights, and plants that store water. Which biome is this, and what are two adaptations that help organisms survive there?

Accepted Answer

This region is a desert biome. Two helpful adaptations are storing water in stems or leaves and having behaviors such as being active at night to avoid extreme daytime heat.

Question 4

Describe one way plants and animals in a tropical rainforest depend on each other.

Accepted Answer

Plants and animals in a tropical rainforest depend on each other because animals may spread seeds or pollinate flowers, while plants provide food and shelter for the animals.

Question 5

Compare the tundra and the taiga by describing one similarity and one difference.

Accepted Answer

One similarity is that both biomes have cold climates and long winters. One difference is that the tundra has very few trees because of permafrost, while the taiga has many coniferous trees.

Question 6

What is biodiversity, and why is it important in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

Biodiversity is the variety of living things in an ecosystem. It is important because ecosystems with greater biodiversity are often more stable and better able to recover from changes or disturbances.

Question 7

In a grassland ecosystem, grass is eaten by rabbits, and rabbits are eaten by hawks. Identify the producer, the primary consumer, and the secondary consumer.

Accepted Answer

The producer is the grass because it makes its own food. The primary consumer is the rabbit because it eats the grass, and the secondary consumer is the hawk because it eats the rabbit.

Question 8

How can a forest fire change an ecosystem in both harmful and helpful ways?

Accepted Answer

A forest fire can be harmful because it destroys habitats and can kill organisms. It can also be helpful because it clears dead material, returns nutrients to the soil, and can allow new plants to grow.

Question 9

An ecosystem loses many of its frogs after pollution enters a pond. Predict one effect this might have on the food web.

Accepted Answer

If many frogs disappear, insects that frogs eat may increase in number, and animals that eat frogs may have less food. This can disrupt the balance of the pond food web.

Question 10

Why do aquatic ecosystems depend on sunlight even though some organisms live underwater?

Accepted Answer

Aquatic ecosystems depend on sunlight because producers such as algae and aquatic plants use sunlight for photosynthesis. These producers form the base of many aquatic food webs.

Question 11

Describe how climate helps determine which biome is found in a region.

Accepted Answer

Climate, especially temperature and precipitation, determines which plants can grow in a region. The types of plants then influence which animals can survive there, so climate helps shape the biome.

Question 12

A student says that all ecosystems with lots of plants are the same. Explain why this statement is incorrect.

Accepted Answer

This statement is incorrect because ecosystems can have many plants but still differ in climate, soil, water, species, and interactions among organisms. For example, a rainforest and a swamp may both have abundant plant life, but they are different ecosystems with different conditions.

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Science: Biomes and Ecosystems

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