Lesson 1 1. The living and nonliving things that surround a living thing make up its _____________. 2. An ____________ is made up of all the living and nonliving things in an environment. They interact with each other. 3. A group of organisms of the same kind living in the same place is a ___________. 4. All of the populations that live in an ecosystem at the same time form a ______________. 5. The place in its ecosystem where a population lives is its _____________.

ANSWERS (LESSON 1) 1. environment 2. ecosystem 3. population 4. community 5. habitat

Lesson 2 _______________ are very dry ecosystems. In a desert, you might see _______________________. _______________are dry, often flat areas of land that are hot in the summer and cold in the winter. A grassland ecosystem might include animals such as ________________________________. Oceans cover about ____________ of Earth’s surface. They are the largest ecosystem. (sharks, sea turtles, corals, whales, seals) There are more ________________ ecosystems than any other kind. _______________ are ecosystems in which many trees grow. Evergreen trees, such as ___________ and ____________ grow in a coniferous forest. Long-eared owls also search for food in the forest.

Answers (Lesson 2) Deserts life grasslands bison, coyotes, mice, rabbits, snakes three-fourths salt water forests pines and firs

Lesson 3 Any trait that helps an animal survive is an _________. An ________ is a behavior an animal knows without being taught. (Fish knowing how to swim) To _________ is to go into a sleeplike state for the winter. To ________ is to travel from one place to another and back again. Some animals can hide without trying. They use _________ to disguise themselves. (ex: many female birds are brown so they can blend in with their nest, lizards may sit on a green leaf)

Answers (Lesson 3) adaptation instinct hibernate migrate camouflage

Lesson 4 There can be many changes that effect an ecosystem. Fires can cause some animals to run away. Those that stay may compete for the resources that are left. If there are not enough resources, populations get smaller. Some members die, and some others leave. If a change brings more resources, populations grow.