8th Grade Science Strand 4

2.  _______________ - the global sum of
all ecosystems. It can also be termed
the zone of life on Earth.
 _______________ - A region of Earth
that has a particular climate and certain
types of plants. (Ex. tundra, desert,
grassland...)
 ______________ - All the living and
nonliving factors in an environment.
Biosphere
Biome
Ecosystem

3.  _______________ - a group of species
living in the same place or having a
particular characteristic in common.
 _______________ – the number of a
specific species in a given area.
 _______________ – A specific organism
Community
Individual
Population

5. Ecosystems
 ______________ – the scientific study of
how organisms interact with their
environment and all the other organisms that
live in their environment.
 ______________ – All the living and
nonliving factors in an environment.
Ecology
Ecosystems

6.  ______________ Factors – All of the living
factors in an ecosystem
 Examples:
○ Animal populations
○ Plant populations
○ Microorganism populations
 ______________ Factors – All of the nonliving
factors in an ecosystem.
 Examples:
○ Soil composition
○ Sunlight availability
○ Water purity and availability
○ Pollution
○ Temperature
Biotic
Abiotic

7. Competition
 Ecosystems have limited resources to sustain
life. Living organisms are constantly
_________________ for:
○ Food (predator vs prey)
○ Light
○ Water
○ Fertile Soil
competing

8. Changes in
Ecosystems/Environments
 Ecosystems can be benefited and be
harmed by changes.
 Deforestation
 Overpopulation
 Water and air pollution
 Depletion of resources
 Invasive species
 Natural disasters
 …

9. Invasive Species
 ________________ Species - Species
which moves into an ecosystem and
replaces/affects established species.
 Example is KudZoo
Invasive

10. Impact on environment
(Disease)
 _____________ – an abnormal
condition affecting and organism
 Viruses
 Bacteria
 Protists
 Fungi
Disease

11. Predict
 Predict the impact (beneficial or harmful)
of a natural environmental change (ie.
forest fire, flood, volcanic eruption,
avalanche) on the organisms in an
ecosystem.
 Describe possible solution to potentially
harmful environmental changes within
an ecosystem.

12. Energy moves through an
ecosystem
 A ______________________diagrams
the transfer of energy in an ecosystem.
 Decomposers
 Scavengers
 Predator/Prey relationships
Food Web

13. Food Web

14. Food Chain

15. Cyclesin Environments
 _______________ – a never-ending
process which repeats itself over and
over.
 Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide Cycles -
Cycle

17.  _______________ CycleNitrogen