Science blog: Summary #5 : Surviving in Ecosystems

Anything that controls the growth pr survival of a population called a limiting factor. Some limiting factors are nonliving In the story the sunlight, wind, water, and temperatue were nonliving limiting factors. They controlled the population of grasses on the prairie.

The grasses, insexcts, deer mice and hawks were living limiting factors. The grasses had withered.

How do Predators compete?

Predators are the huntersw, The hunted are the prey. The hunted are the prey. The number of predators in a ecosystem affects the number of prey. The number of prey in a ecosystem can also determine how many predators the ecosystem can support. If there were few hawks, however, mean fewer deer mice.

How do Plants Survive in Harsh Emvironment?

Plants live almost everywhere on Earth. They live in deserts, where rain seldom falls. They live in theicy northland, were sunlight is weak and winters are lomg and frigid. They live on the floor of rain forests, where the sun rarely shines and the soil has few nutrients.

Plants can survive in these conditions bacau7se they have developed special characteristics. Characteristics that help an organism survive in itsenvironmentt are called adaptation.

How does the barrel cactus survive?

The stem of the barrel cactus also helps it survive in the desert, I t is folded and coverd with needle-sharp spines. What are the advantages? The stem stores water, the folds, which are deepest during dry spells, protect moist parts ofthe stem from hot, dry deserts winds.

How do different kinds of organism interact?

Two differents of predators may hunt the same prey.

In nature a relationship between two kinds of organism that last over a period of time is called symbiosis.

Mutualism

When a relationship between two kinds of organisms benefits both of them i