Ch. 4 Ecosystems and Fossils

Question 1

system of overlapping food chains in which the flow of energy branches out in many directions

Answer 1

food web

Question 2

plant eater

Answer 2

herbivore

Question 3

a scientist who studies fossils

Answer 3

paleontologist

Question 4

a timeline of the history of the earth

Answer 4

geologic time scale

Question 4

animal that eats plants and animals

Answer 4

omnivore

Question 5

all the members of one particular species within an area or ecosystem

Answer 5

population

Question 5

organism that breaks down plant and animal waste and remains

Answer 5

decomposer

Question 6

The remains or mark or an animal or plant that lived long ago

Answer 6

fossil

Question 7

all the living and non-living things in an environment and the many ways they interact

Answer 7

ecosystem

Question 7

living thing that eats other living things

Answer 7

consumer

Question 7

transfer of energy from one organism to another by eating or being eaten

Answer 7

food chain

Question 9

a substance that comes from the remains of organism that lived about 300 million years ago

Answer 9

fossil fuels

Question 10

Type of fossil shown

Answer 10

Cast fossil

Question 11

occurs when two or more living things need the same resources in order to survive

Answer 11

competition

Question 13

Type of fossil shown

Answer 13

Body fossil

Question 15

bits of rock, sand, shell, and other materials that harden into rock

Answer 15

sediment

Question 16

area or place where an organism lives in an ecosystem

Answer 16

habitat

Question 17

animal that gets food by eating other animals

Answer 17

carnivore

Question 19

Type of fossil shown

Answer 19

Trace fossil

Question 20

when a species no longer exists (pictured: dodo bird)

Answer 20

extinct

Question 21

living thing that makes its own food

Answer 21

producer

Question 22

Most fossils are found in this kind of rock

Answer 22

sedimentary

Question 23

Type of fossil shown

Answer 23

Mold fossil

Question 24

What might finding a fish fossil in the dessert tell scientists?

Answer 24

That there was once a body of water where the dessert now lies.

Question 25

A living thing that come from outisde an environment but quickly takes over because of lack of predators or competition. Examples would be the purple loose-strfe, judzu plant, or the Asian carp.

Answer 25

invasive species

Question 26

In which type of ecosystem is the ground beneath the surface frozen all year?

Answer 26

tundra

Question 27

This is passed along in the food chain

Answer 27

energy

Question 28

Give an example of ways that human may change an environement either positively or negatively.

Answer 28

These are just a few examples: People often change the environment to meet their needs. They may build houses, roads, walls, bridges or other structures that force changes of living things. For example, cutting down trees may force animals that live there like raccoons, squirrels, birds, and deer to move to another area. People also treat their lawn or spray insects with chemicals that may be harmful to living things in the ground or in rivers. Sometimes human environments can help animals that use human structures as shelters (such as bridges for bats) or for food (such as raccoons feeding off of human garbage.)

Question 29

This is the main source of energy in the food chain

Answer 29

the energy from the sun

Question 30

Which type of ecosystem is made up of grasslands and small shrubs?

Answer 30

prairie

Question 31

Which type of ecosystem is made up of swamps and marshes?

Answer 31

wetland