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Year 10
AQA
Foundation

Components of an ecosystem

I can describe how changes in abiotic and biotic factors affect organisms in an ecosystem including how the size of predator and prey populations are cyclical.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA
Foundation

Components of an ecosystem

I can describe how changes in abiotic and biotic factors affect organisms in an ecosystem including how the size of predator and prey populations are cyclical.

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Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Ecosystems contain biotic and abiotic components.
  2. Changes in biotic and abiotic factors will affect communities within an ecosystem.
  3. Predators are consumers that eat prey.
  4. The population sizes of predators and prey increase and decrease in predator-prey cycles.

Common misconception

Varying the population size of an organism will not affect an ecosystem.

All organisms are important within an ecosystem. If one organism's population size changes, either as a result of a biotic factor (predation / disease) or an abiotic factor, it will affect all organisms within the ecosystem (to varying degrees).

Keywords

  • Ecosystem - An ecosystem is made up of all the living organisms in a place, interacting with each other and their non-living surroundings.

  • Population - A group of organisms of the same type in the same place is called a population.

  • Community - A community is made up of all the organisms that live in the same place.

  • Biotic - Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem.

  • Abiotic - Abiotic factors are the non-living components of an ecosystem.

There are a number of simulations and role play activities that can be used to support pupils to understand how changes in populations of species can impact populations of other species.
Teacher tip

Equipment

None.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The place where an organism lives which provides food, shelter and a place to reproduce is called a ...
Correct Answer: habitat
Q2.
Match the words with the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:adaptation,a feature of an organism that helps it to survive

a feature of an organism that helps it to survive

Correct Answer:food chain,a model which shows how food is passed from one organism to another

a model which shows how food is passed from one organism to another

Correct Answer:herbivore,an organism which eats plants

an organism which eats plants

Correct Answer:producer,an organism which makes its own food

an organism which makes its own food

Q3.
Which of the following organisms is a top predator in the food chain: grass → rabbit → cat → owl.
grass
rabbit
cat
Correct answer: owl
Q4.
How many consumers are in the following food chain? Phtyoplankton → zooplankton → small fish → large fish → shark.
none
one
two
three
Correct answer: four
Q5.
Ladybirds are eaten by birds. Birds are eaten by cats. Ladybirds eat greenfly. Greenfly eat lettuce. Which of the following is the correct food chain?
ladybird → bird cat → greenfly → lettuce
Correct answer: lettuce → greenfly → ladybird → bird → cat
lettuce → cat → ladybird → bird → greenfly
cat → bird → ladybird → greenfly → lettuce
Q6.
Match the word with the correct definition.
Correct Answer:organism,a living individual

a living individual

Correct Answer:population,the number of one type of organism in a specific area

the number of one type of organism in a specific area

Correct Answer:community,interacting populations of different species in a place

interacting populations of different species in a place

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is made up of all the living organisms in a place, interacting with each other and their non-living surroundings?
Correct Answer: ecosystem, an ecosystem, ecosystems
Q2.
Which of the following are abiotic factors?
Correct answer: soil type
Correct answer: temperature
competition for food
disease
Correct answer: wind direction
Q3.
Which of the following are biotic factors?
Correct answer: parasites
Correct answer: competition for a mate
light intensity
rock type
water availability / rainfall
Q4.
Predators hunt and eat prey. As the number of prey individuals decreases, what will happen to the population of predators?
Correct answer: The predator population decreases - there is less food for the predators to eat.
The predator population decreases - there is more food for the predators to eat.
The predator population increases - there is less food for the predators to eat.
The predator population increases - there is more food for the predators to eat.
Q5.
The greenfly population increases in summer when it is warm. This is because there is plenty of food so the greenfly reproduce quickly. Greenfly are food for ladybirds. Which statement is correct?
Correct answer: As the population of greenfly increases, the population of ladybirds increases.
As the population of greenfly increases, the ladybird population stays the same.
As the population of greenfly increases, the population of ladybirds decreases.
Q6.
What will happen if the caterpillar population decreases?
An image in a quiz
there will be more chaffinches
Correct answer: there will be fewer chaffinches
Correct answer: there will be fewer thrushes
there will be more thrushes
Q6 UYSEG