Access Prior Knowledge Lesson 1: What is an ecosystem? Opening Activity Open Science textbook to page 126. Open Science folder to review vocabulary words and outline for the chapter. Open Science journal and answer the following questions: 1. Describe what you know about a food chain? Re view Content Cards and Q-Cards in bin, sharing with partners quizzing each other quietly. Log in to clickers using student ID number. Be ready to review home learning when timer goes off. Don't forget to write your home learning in your agenda page 44A.

1 An ecosystem includes only the living organisms in a given area. Yes No Do you agree with the statement?

2 Several different populations can be found in one ecosystem. Yes No Do you agree with the statement?

3 A rainforest is an example of a biome. Yes No Do you agree with the statement?

4 A niche is where an organism lives in an ecosystem. Yes No Do you agree with the statement?

Living and Nonliving Parts An ecosystem is all living and nonliving things in an area. A community is the group of all the populations in an area. A population is a group of organisms of one species that live in an area at the same time. Air, water, soil and sunlight are nonliving parts of an ecosystem that organisms need to live. 1. The kind and size of populations of organisms depend on the nonliving parts of an ecosystem. 2. They all work together with a specific job to make the ecosystem function. 3. Every population has needs. When it gets its needs, it can live and grow. If not, it will get smaller and either move away or die. First paragraph pg. 127

Biomes A biome is a large ecosystem, with the same climate and organisms that may cover many countries. All the biomes make up the biosphere. Temperate rainforests in Washington State have spruce and maple trees that grow in wet, cool climate. A niche is the role of an organism in an ecosystem. 1. Niches of trees and squirrels interact because the trees provide food and a place for them to live. 2. Squirrels eat the seeds and spread seeds which keep them alive. A habitat is the place in which an organism lives. All parts of an ecosystem work together to keep it balanced. 1. If there is a balance between mice and owls, when the number of mice goes down so will the number of owls because there is not enough food. 2. When there is less owls, the population of mice increases until there is enough mice for owls to eat. First paragraph pg. 128 First paragraph pg. 129 Biomes Habitat & Niche

Population Ecosystem HabitatNiche MatchQuest Ecosystems Community

TextQuest Answer questions in your Science Journal. 1. If owls depend on mice, what would happen to an owl population if the number of mice decreased? 2. What trees grow in a temperate rainforest? Why? 3. Give three nonliving parts of an ecosystem and explain how they impact organisms in the ecosystem. Don't forget to write your home learning in your agenda page 44A.