Ecosystems Review Worksheet
| # | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | An ecosystem is a community of living and nonliving things interacting with each other in a specific area. The two main types of components are biotic factors (living things) and abiotic factors (nonliving things). |
| 2 | Possible abiotic factors include temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen. Temperature affects the survival and activity of organisms. pH can influence chemical reactions and the health of aquatic life. Dissolved oxygen is important because fish and other organisms need it to survive. |
| 3 | Good design features include quiet motors to reduce noise disturbance, low-ground-pressure wheels or legs to avoid damaging plants and soil, and sensors for obstacle detection so it can avoid nests, burrows, and animals. Energy-efficient power use can also reduce the need for frequent human visits. |
| 4 | The plan could use water-quality robots to measure temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and pollutants along the river. A camera or audio-monitoring robot could track frog numbers and activity over time. If water quality is poor, that may be a cause. If the robot detects fewer insects or signs of habitat loss, those could also explain the decline. |
| 5 | A strong answer might describe a robot that maps damaged areas, measures environmental conditions, and helps with restoration. For a polluted pond, it could collect water data, identify contaminated zones, and release cleanup materials or plant native aquatic plants. For eroded grassland, it could detect soil loss, plant native seeds, and monitor moisture. Sensors might include cameras, GPS, moisture sensors, pH sensors, and soil or water quality sensors. Actions could include moving to target areas, collecting data, planting seeds, or signaling humans for major problems. One limitation is that the robot may not detect every environmental change, and if not carefully managed, it could still disturb wildlife or habitats. |