Environmental Science

Elective 7
1st Quarter
(Notes on Worksheet #3)

Ecosystem- is a community of different organisms that interact with each other and their physical
environment and depend on each other for survival.
Ecosystem is composed of:
 Biotic component- is the living factor in the environment which is made up of two
groups of organisms: those that can produce their own food, called producers or autotrophs
such as plants; and those that consume or eat other organism called consumers or
heterotrophs such as animals.
 Abiotic component- are the nonliving chemical and physical factors that help sustain
life in the ecosystem.

Habitat- the place where an organism lives

Niche- pertains to the role of the organism in the community. The organisms’ habitat, what they eat,
and where they eat are parts of the organisms’ niche

Source: Arms, K., et al., 2006 , Environmental Science of Rex Book Store, Inc., Pavico, J., et al., 2017,
Exploring Life Through Science Series of Phoenix Publishing House Inc., Valdoz, Meliza P., et al., 2013,
Science Links (K to 12) of Rex Book Store, Inc.

Environmental Science
Elective 7
1st Quarter
(Worksheet #3 )
Name: ____________________________ Year & Section: ______________________ Date:
_____________

Most Essential Learning Competencies:

 Distinguish and relate between the biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem.

Objective:
 Identify biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem and describe the interactions between them.

Activity 1:” Ecosystem”

Direction:
A. Write a word under each of the pictures below to show what all living things need to survive.
1. ______________ 2. _____________ 3. _________ 4. _____________ 5. ___________
B. Use the words at the bottom of the page to fill in the blanks:

• Something which is alive, for example a plant or animal is called an _________________.

• A place where an organism naturally lives and grows is known as its _________________.
• An ______________ is all the interacting parts of a natural area including abiotic and biotic factors.
• _______________ factors are non-living things including soil, air, water and nutrients.
• _______________ factors are living things found in an ecosystem and include plants, animals, fungi
and micro-organisms.

Biotic Ecosystem Organism Habitat Abiotic

Activity 2: “Biotic and Abiotic Factors in an Ecosystem

An ecosystem includes all living things (biotic factors) and their nonliving environments
(abiotic factors), in a giving area interacting with each other.

Direction:
A. Classify factors in each ecosystem as either biotic or abiotic. Each factor will be listed as a
picture.
TUNDRA ECOSYSTEM

BIOTIC ABIOTIC

Lemming
Poor soil
Very cold winter
Permafrost

Snowy Owl

Strong Wind
Arctic Fox
Little precipitation
 POND ECOSYSTEM

BIOTIC ABIOTIC

Acidity
Algae
Dissolved Oxygen
Amphibian

Fish

Temperature

Plants
Phytoplankton

Salinity
 FOREST ECOSYSTEM

BIOTIC ABIOTIC

Changing
Precipitation Long growing season
Weather Trees

Insects
Birds Squirrels
Black bears

Hares Fertile soil

B. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the difference between the biotic and abiotic factors of an ecosystem?

2. Can abiotic and biotic factors affect one another? Provide an example.

Activity 3: “Biotic and Abiotic Factors, Biodiversity and Keystone Species”

Direction:
A. Use the Venn diagram to compare biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors in the
environment and some components that are a mixture of both. Use the examples listed below and
list six more examples from the lesson:
Air, heat, precipitation, animals, mushroom, soil
 Abiotic Factors Both Biotic Factors

B. Use a word from the box below to complete the following sentences.
Abiotic animals biotic living plants
Moisture Temperature nonliving wind

1. All ecosystems are made up of __________ and ___________ components.

2. _____________ factors are living things, such as _________________ or ______________.
3. _____________ factors are nonliving things, such as _________ , _________, or __________.

Activity 4: “What’s in your Ecosystem?”

Direction: Draw an ecosystem that you might find near your home. Include biotic and abiotic factors.

Use your ecosystem to answer the questions.

My ecosystem is _____________
1. What are the biotic factors in the ecosystem?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. What are the abiotic factors in the ecosystem?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
 3. Name one relationship between two factors and how they affect each other.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Evaluation:
A. Write True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false.
_____ 1. Biotic factors include sunlight, soil, temperature, and water.
_____ 2. An ecosystem consists of all the biotic and abiotic factors in an area and their
interactions.
_____ 3. A niche refers to the place an organism lives within its ecosystem.
_____4. The habitat is the role of a species in its ecosystem.
_____5. Abiotic factors are nonliving things.

B. Identify the following components as BIOTIC or ABIOTIC.

___________1. Temperature
___________2. Plants
___________3. Bacteria
___________4. Insects
___________5. Air

C. Fill in the blanks.

1. An _____________ is composed of living factors and nonliving factors interacting with one
another.
2. The place an organism lives is called _______________.
3. The ______________ of an ecosystem are the nonliving chemical and physical factors that help
sustain life in the ecosystem.
4. ______________ pertains to the role of the organism in the community.
5. The _____________ of an ecosystem are the living factors that have specific roles to play in the
community.
 Prepared by:

_________________________
CRISTY ANN P. PAANOD
T-III

APPROVED:

__________________________
Dr. MARY CHERRY LYNN M. DALIPE
Education Program Supervisor-Science and Research

Answer Key

Activity 1:
A.
1. food
2. oxygen
3. water
4. shelter
5. habitat
B.
1. organism
2. habitat
3. ecosystem
4. abiotic
5. biotic
Activity 2:

A. Tundra Ecosystem
BIOTIC ABIOTIC
Caribou poor soil
Lemming very cold winter
Lichen permafrost
Snowy owl little precipitation
Flowering plants strong wind
Arctic fox
Pond Ecosystem
BIOTIC ABIOTIC
Algae acidity
Amphibian dossolved oxygen
Plants temperature
Fish salinity
Phytoplankton
Forest Ecosystem
BIOTIC ABIOTIC
Trees changing weather
Birds precipitation
Insects long growing season
Squirrels fertile soil
Black bears
Hares
B. Possible answers
1. Biotic factors are all living organisms within an ecosystem while abiotic factors are the nonliving
organism.
2. Yes, abiotic and biotic factors affect one another because they are related to each other in an
ecosystem, and if one factor is changed or removed, it can affect the entire ecosystem. Examples of
these are: Sunlight provides energy that plants utilize to grow, which ultimately holds up the whole
biotic community of an ecosystem. Air also interacts with plants, helping them grow by providing a
source of carbon (CO2) and other nutrients.

Activity 3:
A. Answers for the six more example may vary.

Abiotic Biotic

air Both animals

heat mushroom
precipitation
soil
B. 1. Biotic and abiotic/ living and nonliving
2. biotic, animals, plants
3. abiotic, moisture, temperature, wind

Evaluation:
A. 1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True

B. 1. abiotic
2. biotic
3. biotic
4. biotic
5. abiotic

C. 1. Ecosystem
2. habitat
3. abiotic components
4. niche
5. biotic components