SCIENCE GRADE SIX – ECOLOGY Photosynthesis Fresh Salt Connecticut Ecology Water Cycle Groundwater Populations A Renewable Resource Biotic (living) and Abiotic (nonliving) factors Pollution Predator/Prey Relationships Pollution Septic and Sewage Systems Essential Understandings: Water travels not only through the ground, but through rivers and streams as well. Connecticut has many different ecosystems. An ecosystem includes all living and non-living things that interact in a given area. There are many different food chains/webs in an ecosystem. Organisms are a part of the energy cycle of an ecosystem. A population is a group of species in a given area. Organisms consume other organisms. Biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors affect an ecosystem Relationships between organisms are shown in a food web. Populations are affected by predator/prey relationships over time. Plants make their own food using water, carbon dioxide and sunlight. Polluted ground water that is consumed can make people very ill. About ½ of the population in the United States uses ground water for drinking. Septic and sewage systems, along with construction and fertilizers, produce wastes that can end up in ground water. Most pollution is the result of human activity. Water can become polluted which can be harmful to living things. Water is a renewable resource because of the water cycle. Groundwater is stored in layers of soil and rock beneath the Earth’s surface. Salt water cannot be used for drinking or watering crops. Most water on Earth is in the form of salt water. Fresh water is a limited resource. Industrial fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, sewage, gas and oil are wastes used by humans. Sources Sickness Vocabulary: All K-5 process vocabulary plus: Community Competition Consumer Ecology Environment Habitat Photosynthesis Population Producer