Ecosystem Vocabulary

The study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment.

• Ecology

• Producer

• Consumer

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

A community of organisms and their abiotic, or nonliving environment.

• Ecosystem

• Consumer

• Producer

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A diagram that shows the feeding relationships by which energy and nutrients are transferred from one species to another

• Producer

• Food Web

• Ecology

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

An organism that can make its own food, sunlight and/or chemical energy

• Consumer

• Producer

• Ecosystem

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

• They produce their own food through photosynthesis.

• They consume living plants and animals for energy.

• They break down dead organisms and waste, returning nutrients to the soil.

• They regulate the population of other organisms.

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DOK Level 2: Skill/Concept

What reasoning would you use to explain why biodiversity is typically higher in a rainforest than in a desert?

• Rainforests have more sunlight.

• Deserts are cooler than rainforests.

• Rainforests have more varied resources and stable climates that support diverse species.

• Rainforests are larger in area than deserts.

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DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking

What is the primary function of chlorophyll in the ecosystems?

• To absorb water

• To produce carbon dioxide

• To absorb sunlight

• To release oxygen

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DOK Level 1: Recall

Plan a project to analyze the effects of deforestation on local biomes.

• Write a poem about trees.

• Measure tree heights in a deforested area vs. a non-deforested area over a year.

• Watch a documentary on forests.

• Paint a picture of a forest.

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DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking

How would you investigate the impact of pH levels on aquatic life in a freshwater biome?

• Read articles about freshwater biomes.

• Change the pH of a water sample and observe the behavior of aquatic organisms.

• Visit a freshwater biome once.

• Draw pictures of aquatic organisms.

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DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking

Design an experiment to test the effect of sunlight on plant growth in different ecosystems.

• Plant seeds in identical pots under different light conditions and measure growth over a month.

• Plant seeds in the dark and observe for a day.

• Compare plant growth by reading a textbook.

• Ask others about their plant growth observations.

Tags

DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking