What is the Connection? (Let’s Get Started)

• In any natural environment, each component is important and

affects the other components. Components of a natural

environment include:

sunlight, soil, water, air, plants, animals, and other living

things.

1. Select one of the components listed above. In your notebook,

explain how the component affects the other components.

2. Form a group of six. As a group, create a concept map showing

the connections between the different components. Once you have

marked a connection, include a label indicating what the

connection is. Each component may have more than one arrow.

3. Each group will then share their ideas with the rest of the class.

UNIT

B

Naturalizing Your Community(Unit Task Preview)

In this Unit Task, you will select an area in your community that would benefit

from “naturalization” – adding plants and changing the landscape ina way that

will attract local animals and also make it attractive to humans.

You will analyze the area you select and create a plan to naturalize the area in a

way that reflects the local natural environment. You will study your selected area

and identify factors that must be considered to ensure the plan will be

successful. The plan must involve both living and non-living elements, as well as

the needs of the people in the area.

UNIT

B

You will be assessed on how well you

Assessment

• show your knowledge and understanding of the local ecosystem

• develop a reasonable place to naturalize your area

• propose practical solutions for naturalizing your area

• evaluate the impact your plan will have on living things that will inhabit the area, as well as on humans living nearby

A Walk in the Park (Discovering Science and Technology)

UNIT

B

Environmental Print

Our environment “speaks” to us through signs and symbols everything: signs on stores, menu boards in drive-throughs, billboards, road signs, and even signs in natural settings like parks and nature trails. Readers need to be able to read messages in all places so that they can follow directions, instructions, and rules and regulations.

Read the sign on this page. Discuss the following with a partner or small group:

• How is this sign related to what Grandpa talks

about in the story?

• After reading the sign, describe in your own

words what naturalization means to you.

• What other signs might be posted in the park?

Think about messages for park users to protect

the environment, learn about plants and

animals, and help them enjoy the park.

Healthy Ecosystems

• KEY QUESTION: What are the essential elements of a healthy ecosystem?

Looking Ahead

• Ecosystems are made up of living and non-living elements.

• The living things in an ecosystem depend on each other and on non-living

elements for survival.

• Living and non-living elements interact with each other in many different

ways.

• The skills of scientific inquiry can be used to investigate the living and non-

living elements in a model ecosystem.

• Humans are part of ecosystems and affect ecosystems.

CHAPTER

4

Healthy Ecosystems — Activity

• Think of a time when you have been outside and saw a living

thing (animal, insect, bird, plant) interact with another living

thing or perhaps with something non-living.

• As best you can, describe that interaction in a paragraph. Were

they competing for something? Did one “win” over the other?

Were they helping each other? What made this interaction

stick out in your mind?

• Draw a picture of the interaction to accompany the paragraph.

CHAPTER

4

Getting a Chuckle from the Environment (Reading Science and Technology)

CHAPTER

4

Text Genres: The Comic Strip

Comic strips can be written as very sophisticated texts. They require readers to make connections between illustrations, text, and what they already know about a topic. Sometimes a message is hidden and the reader must “read between the lines”, or make an inference to figure out the comic strip’s meaning.

Read each of the comic strips on this page or in your textbook.

1. How does the cartoonist use humour in each comic strip?

2. Read the words in the last comic strip. What message does the written text give you? How does the picture help you to “read between the lines” to see a different message?

3. What is Milton’s opinion of zoos? Whose point of view might be in favour of the benefits of zoos?

What is an Ecosystem?

• The interactions among the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic)

parts of an environment are called an ecosystem.

• An ecosystem can be large or small, but the biotic and abiotic parts

always interact.

• Some ecosystems contain smaller ecosystems within them.

• Within ecosystems, living things can be organized into species,

populations, and communities. Each species within a community

plays an important role.

abiotic element

biotic element

community

ecology

micro-organism

organism

population

species

4.1

Interactive Activity: The Living Parts of the EnvironmentClick anywhere on the image below to launch the activity in your web browser

4.1

The Needs of Living Things

• Think of what you need to survive.

• An organism can only live in a habitat where its basic needs are

met.

• Many elements determine which organisms can live in a particular

habitat. These elements include:

• Sunlight to provide energy and warmth.

• Water to digest food and form body fluids.

• Air to provide oxygen for animals and carbon dioxide for plants.

• Ideal temperature range to prevent freezing or over heating.

• Food to provide organisms with nutrients.

habitat

nutrient

4.2

Creating Your Own Model Ecosystem (Perform an Activity)

4.3

• In this activity, you will study biotic and abiotic elements by

creating your own model ecosystem and observing the

interactions among the living and non-living elements.

Equipment and Materials

Creating Your Own Model Ecosystem (Perform an Activity)

4.3

Notify the teacher of any allergies that you have. Wash your hands upon completing your ecosystem. Treat animals with care and respect. Do not use mercury thermometers

Safety

Interactions among Living Things

• Three important interaction among living things (biotic elements) include:

competition, predation, and mutualism.

• Competition occurs when more than one organism tries to obtain the same

basic resources in the same habitat.

• This limits the number of organisms in an ecosystem.

• Predation refers to animals hunting other living things, usually other animals,

for food.

• The number of predators is affected

by the number of prey in the

ecosystem, and vice versa.

• The predator-prey cycle can also

affect plant populations. More prey

in the population means more plants

are eaten, making the plant population smaller.

• Mutualism is an interaction between individuals of different species that

benefits both individuals.

E.g. Bees and flowers.

competition

predator

prey

mutualism

4.4

How Do Humans Fit into Ecosystems?

• Humans tend to change the ecosystem they inhabit.

E.g. we cut down forests to build houses or to create farmland.

• When humans change an ecosystem to meet their needs, other

organisms may not be able to live there any longer.

• Humans compete with other species for basic needs and resources

in an ecosystem, although humans often win.

• Farming and mining are two common techniques humans use to

obtain resources from the environment.

• When humans take resources from ecosystems, they often leave

pollution, which affects other organisms.

4.5

The Impact of Vehicles on the Environment (Explore An Issue Critically)

4.6

• Many of us depend on vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and vans,

everyday. However, vehicles also cause air and water pollution.

Building roads for vehicles also contributes to the destruction of

natural habitats for living things.

Communicate

• Working in groups, you will create a public awareness campaign

in the form of a commercial, brochure or pamphlet,

announcement, billboard or multimedia presentation, that

highlights the impact of vehicles on the environment.

Goal

To research the impacts that vehicles have on the environment and to create and present a public awareness campaign outlining these impacts.

Summary – Looking Back

CHAPTER

4• Ecosystems are made up of living and non-living elements.

• Biotic elements in ecosystems are living things, such as plants,

animals, and micro-organisms.

• Abiotic elements in ecosystems are non-living things, such as

sunlight, air, water, and temperature.

• Within ecosystems, living things can be organized into

individual species, populations, and communities.

• All ecosystems, whether large or small, are

interconnected. Some ecosystems contain

smaller ecosystems within them.

Summary – Looking Back

CHAPTER

4• The living things in an ecosystem depend on each other and on

non-living elements for survival.

• All organisms have basic needs. An organism can only live in a

habitat where its basic needs are met.

• The abiotic elements in a habitat often determine which organisms

can live in that particular location. These include sunlight, water, air,

and an ideal temperature range.

• Living and non-living elements interact with each other in many

different ways.

• Some organisms in an ecosystem compete for the same resources.

Competition limits the number of organisms that can live in an

ecosystem.

• The number of prey affects the number of predators that can live in an

ecosystem. In a similar way, the number of predators affects the

number of prey in an ecosystem.

• Mutualism is an interaction between two species in an ecosystem in

which both species benefit from the relationship.

Summary – Looking Back

CHAPTER

4• The skills of scientific inquiry can be used to investigate the

living and non-living elements in a model ecosystem.

• Model ecosystems can be designed and built using everyday

equipment and materials.

• Model ecosystems can be used to observe biotic and abiotic

elements and the interactions between these elements.

• Humans are part of ecosystems and affect ecosystems.

• Humans interact with living and non-living elements of the

environment. They compete with other organisms for resources.

• Human often win competitions with other organisms because

humans can develop technology to help them survive. Farming

and mining are two common techniques humans use to obtain

resources from the environment.

• When humans take resources from ecosystems, they often leave

pollution, which affects other organisms.

QuizMultiple choice

For each question, select the best answer from the four alternatives.

1. Which of the following is a biotic element in an ecosystem?

a) Sunlight.

b) Lake.

c) Algae.

d) Water.

2. A population contains members of the same…

a) Ecosystem.

b) Species.

c) Size.

d) Family.

3. Plants provide us with oxygen to breathe, and we provide plants with carbon dioxide. What type of biotic interaction is this?

a) Predation.

b) Competition.

c) Mutualism.

d) Distilled water.

CHAPTER

4

Quiz

True/False

Indicate whether each of the statements is TRUE or FALSE. If you

think the statement is false, rewrite it to make it true.

4. All living things need water to survive.

5. A population is a group of different species in a given area.

6. Predator-prey cycles can impact plant populations.

7. Mutualism best describes the interaction between two plants

growing beside each other.

CHAPTER

4

Quiz

Fill in the blanks

Copy each of the following statements into you notebook. Fill in

the blanks with a word or phrase that correctly completes the

sentence.

8. Ecosystems contain and

elements that interact.

9. The physical space where an organism lives is called its

.

10.Humans have developed technologies to extract resources

from the environment. allows us to grow food

crops, while is how we obtain metal.

CHAPTER

4

farming; biotic; habitat; abiotic; mining

Quiz11.Label the diagram

Population; Community; Species

CHAPTER

4

(c)

(b)

(a)

Quiz AnswersMultiple choice

For each question, select the best answer from the four alternatives.

1. Which of the following is a biotic element in an ecosystem?

a) Sunlight.

b) Lake.

c) Algae.

d) Water.

2. A population contains members of the same…

a) Ecosystem.

b) Species.

c) Size.

d) Family.

3. Plants provide us with oxygen to breathe, and we provide plants with carbon dioxide. What type of biotic interaction is this?

a) Predation.

b) Competition.

c) Mutualism.

d) Distilled water.

CHAPTER

4

Quiz Answers

True/False

Indicate whether each of the statements is TRUE or FALSE. If you

think the statement is false, rewrite it to make it true.

4. TRUE; All living things need water to survive.

5. FALSE; A population is a group of THE SAME species in a

given area.

6. TRUE; Predator-prey cycles can impact plant populations.

7. FALSE; COMPETITION best describes the interaction between

two plants growing beside each other.

CHAPTER

4

Quiz Answers

Fill in the blanks

Copy each of the following statements into you notebook. Fill in

the blanks with a word or phrase that correctly completes the

sentence.

8. Ecosystems contain biotic and abiotic elements that interact.

9. The physical space where an organism lives is called its

habitat.

10.Humans have developed technologies to extract resources

from the environment. Farming allows us to grow food crops,

while mining is how we obtain metal.

CHAPTER

4

farming; biotic; habitat; abiotic; mining

Quiz Answers11.Label the diagram

Population; Community; Species

CHAPTER

4