sci7_ch01_3rd.

qxd 7/15/08 5:09 PM Page 2

A
UNIT

Interactions in the
Environment

2
sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:09 PM Page 3

Unit Overview

Fundamental Concepts
In Science and Technology for grades 7 and 8, six
fundamental concepts occur throughout. This unit
addresses the following two:
• Systems and Interactions
• Sustainability and Stewardship

Big Ideas
As you work through this unit, you will develop a deeper
understanding of the following big ideas:
• Ecosystems are made up of biotic (living) and
abiotic (non-living) elements that depend on each
other to survive.
• Ecosystems are in a constant state of change. The
changes may be caused by nature or by human
intervention.
• Human activities have the potential to alter the
environment. Humans must be aware of these
impacts and try to control them.

Overall Expectations
By the end of this unit, you will be expected to:
1. assess the impacts of human activities and
technologies on the environment and evaluate
ways of controlling these impacts
2. investigate interactions within the environment and
identify factors that affect the balance between
different components of an ecosystem
3. demonstrate an understanding of interactions
between and among biotic and abiotic elements in
the environment
All living things survive by
interacting with other
elements in their ecosystem.
3
sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:09 PM Page 4

Exploring

A walk in an ecosystem will bring

you into close contact with many
living things.

ou have come to walk along the forest path in a river

Y valley. You spy a white-tailed deer snacking on a small
shrub. A pheasant nearby loudly beats its wings and flies off.
Insects are buzzing in the air. The plants, the insects, the birds,
and the animals are all living things, just like you. You have
something else in common with them. You are all part of an
ecosystem. Ecosystems are complex systems where living
things interact with other living and non-living things.
Interactions in the Environment is about how living things
survive on Earth. You will find out how ecosystems work.
Just as important, you will assess the impact of human
activities on ecosystems and learn how activities and technology
are changing as people take action to protect ecosystems.

4 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:09 PM Page 5

The Rouge River Valley

Over 500 years ago, the Rouge River was known locally as
Katabokokonk, which meant “river of easy entrance.” The
valley was home to the People of the Longhouse, who used the
river’s water for cooking, drinking, and fishing as well as
transportation. Villagers grew crops in the valley, including
beans that kept the soil healthy and increased the production of
other plants. The Iroquois lived in longhouses made of wooden
poles, branches, and bark from the forests. These early
inhabitants of the valley depended on the living and non-living
elements of the valley for their survival.
When Europeans settled the area, they established farms
The Rouge River
and built mills to use the water power to grind local grain.
Communities, businesses, and roads were added as the city of
Toronto expanded.
The Rouge River and the smaller ones that flow into it
begin in the Oak Ridges Moraine and empty into Lake Ontario.
The ecosystems in the Rouge Valley include mature forests, a
large marsh, bluffs, meadows, and beach shoreline.

Creating the Rouge Park

By 1975, local people were concerned about the impact of
human activities on the valley’s ecosystems. They suspected that
increased development would damage them. Roads and housing
would destroy habitats, animals, and plants, and cars would
contribute to air pollution. Some water sources would be
diverted, and others would be polluted.
The locals formed a group to preserve the Rouge Valley and
protect it from development. It took 20 years of meetings,
petitions, and rallies before the Rouge Park was created.
The Rouge Park now covers 47 km2 and protects many
ecosystems. Local people work co-operatively with federal,
provincial, and municipal governments to manage the park.
Their goal is to limit the impact of human activities and A heron
technologies on the Rouge Valley.
…MORE TO EXPLORE

Exploring 5
sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:09 PM Page 6

A1 Quick Lab

Interactions and Connections

Purpose 4. Students representing a living thing interacting
Ecosystems contain a variety of living things that with soil (an oak or an earthworm) will
depend on the water, soil, air, and other living and indicate their connection. The “soil” runner will
non-living things for survival. The class is going to use the red wool to make continuous links
model the connections among living things. between each of those living things with the
centre.
Materials & Equipment 5. Those with a connection to water will be
■ 3 large balls of wool: red, blue, green linked to the centre with blue wool. (Runners
■ 1 pair of scissors should stay low to avoid tangles.)

6. The students outside the circle will connect

Procedure living things that depend on each other. For
1. Most of the class will form a circle. Four example, they will cut a piece of green wool
students will be in the middle, and two long enough to connect the earthworm to the
students will be on the outside. robin that eats it.

2. The student pairs in the circle represent soil

Questions
and water. The soil team will have the red
wool; the water team will have the blue. One 7. Describe some of the ways living things and
member holds the end of the wool in the non-living things may be connected.
centre of the circle; each “runner” has the ball.
8. How would the loss of soil or water or some
3. Each student in the circle will represent a of the plants or animals affect the ecosystem?
different living thing from a local ecosystem.

A2 Thinking about Science, Technology, Society,

and the Environment

What Is Stewardship?
A steward is someone who looks after and takes Consider This
care of something that belongs to someone
As a class, answer the following questions:
else. People often talk about stewardship when
they talk about Earth because Earth does not 1. Who do you think is responsible for Earth?
belong to us. 2. What can you do to help look after Earth?

6 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:09 PM Page 7

UNIT
A Contents
1.0 Ecosystems are communities where biotic and
abiotic elements interact.
1.1 Interactions of Biotic and Abiotic Elements
1.2 The Roles of Producers DI

1.3 Producers and Consumers

2.0 Interactions in ecosystems support the

transfer of energy and the cycling of matter.
2.1 The Transfer of Energy in Ecosystems
2.2 Cycling Matter DI

2.3 Interactions and Changes in Ecosystems

3.0 We can change our actions and technologies to

better protect the environment.
3.1 Succession, Recovery, and Renewal in Natural
Communities
3.2 The Environmental Impact of Humans DI

3.3 Sustainable Human Communities

Unit Task
You know the size of your foot, but do you know
the size of your ecological footprint? Like all living
things, you require some of Earth’s resources to
keep yourself alive. In the Unit Task, you are
going to measure the amount of Earth’s Getting Ready to Read
resources you are using. You will be able to
compare your ecological footprint with Anticipation Guide
others in your class and assess the impact Your teacher will give you a list of statements.
of your needs for Earth’s resources. Circle “Agree” or “Disagree” beside each
Essential Question statement before you read your textbook. As
What is the environmental impact of your you read this unit, note page numbers that
activities? relate to each statement. When you have
finished reading, you can check to see
whether your opinion has changed based on
what you have learned.

Unit A Contents 7
sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 8

Ecosystems are communities

1.0 where biotic and abiotic
elements interact.

All living things find what they need to survive in their local ecosystem.

8 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 9

What You Will Learn

In this chapter, you will:
• explain what living things need to survive
• describe an ecosystem
• describe interactions of producers, consumers,
decomposers, and non-living things in
ecosystems

Skills You Will Use

In this chapter, you will:
• follow established safety procedures for
investigating ecosystems
• design and construct a model ecosystem

Why This Is Important

Living things — like you, a fish in a river, or a tomato
plant — depend on interactions with other living
and non-living things to survive. These interactions
(acting on each other) happen in ecosystems.

Before Reading
Previewing Text Features
Textbooks use a variety of text features to
organize key concepts and main ideas and to
highlight important details. Scan this chapter
to preview the headings and scientific
vocabulary. Look at how colour and the size
and shape of the type are used. Thinking
about the ways these two features are
presented can help you understand what you
will be reading.

Key Terms
• ecosystem • biotic
• abiotic • producers
• population • community
• consumers • decomposers

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 9

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 10

1.0 Getting Started

Figure 1.1 Aboriginal peoples shared

their land with animals like this deer.

orth American Aboriginal peoples have lived off the land

N as fishers, hunters, and farmers for generations.
Wherever they have lived, they have paid close attention to the
local plants, birds, animals, and other natural resources they
used to survive. The Northern Cree knew that if they killed too
many geese, there would be no more goose for dinner. If the
Mohawk took too many trees, they might lose their shelters or
source of heat. If the local water sources were ruined, the
Ojibwa community would have to relocate or risk death.
Traditional Aboriginal practices taught the people to waste
nothing when they used plants or killed animals. They hunted
animals such as deer for food (Figure 1.1). Then they used the
skin, bones, and other parts for tools, clothing, shelter, or
medicine. These traditional interactions with the natural world
are based on the belief that both life and water are sacred.
Figure 1.2 Aboriginal peoples
They believe that everything is connected through interactions.
respect all things in nature. Aboriginal peoples consider themselves to be part of the

10 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 11

ecosystem they live in. These beliefs have led to a deep respect
and gratitude for Earth. Traditional ways of living require that
everything in nature be treated with respect and used wisely.
Today, Aboriginal elders continue to share their respect for
Earth as they work with environmental scientists. Together,
they combine traditional knowledge with scientific research in
order to improve the management of local ecosystems.

A3 Quick Lab

Ecosystems Are Everywhere

Figure 1.3 Figure 1.4

Wherever you look, you will see elements of Procedure

ecosystems. In a city, you see birds, insects, nests,
1. Take a blank piece of paper and make two
trees, grasses, squirrels, and raccoons. In a less
charts, each with two columns headed
populated area, you may see a pond with wildlife
Living Things and Non-living Things. Look
living in it or visiting it. Each ecosystem has a
at the pictures of the ecosystems in Figures
variety of living things such as plants and animals
1.3 and 1.4 above. Use the charts to classify
and non-living things such as soil, rocks, and water.
everything you see.
Living things get what they need to survive from the
ecosystem they live in. Ecosystems can be huge or 2. With a partner, make a list of the ways the
tiny. They can be wet or dry; they can be cold or hot. living things interact with the environment.

Purpose Questions
To identify interactions that occur in ecosystems 3. With a classmate or as a class, discuss the
following questions.
Materials & Equipment (a) How would you interact with each of
■ photos ■ paper and pencil these ecosystems?
(b) How would your interaction affect each
ecosystem?

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 11

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 12

1.1 Interactions of Biotic and Abiotic Elements

Here is a summary of what you will learn in this section:
• A living thing is known as a biotic element.
• A non-living thing is known as an abiotic element.
• Biotic elements need five basic things in order to survive.
• Biotic elements interact with both biotic and abiotic elements in order to meet their basic needs.

You and your classmates are busy 24 hours a day keeping

yourselves alive. You may not think of it that way, but it is
true! What are some of the activities that you — and most
other living things — do to survive? You breathe air. You drink
water. You eat food. You get rid of waste. Your body makes
energy so that it can carry out activities such as digesting food
and moving around. You and other living things have basic
needs that are essential to your survival. To meet these basic
needs, you interact with living and non-living things.

A4 Starting Point Skills P C

Living and Non-living Things in Ecosystems

In Activity A3, you made a list of the living
and non-living things you could see in the
photographs. How did you decide which
was which?
Look at the three photographs here.
Which of these elements are living and which
are non-living? Discuss with a classmate
how to decide whether something is living
or non-living. Make a list of the factors you
used to make your decision.
Figure 1.6

Figure 1.7
Figure 1.5

12 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 13

Basic Needs of Biotic Elements W O R D S M AT T E R

Scientists call living things in an ecosystem biotic elements. Non- Bio- in words such as “biotic” means
living. The prefix a- in “abiotic”
living things in ecosystems are abiotic elements such as rocks, means not.
soil, and water. Biotic elements have five basic needs for survival.
Most biotic elements — polar bears, mosquitoes, dandelions,
maple trees, and you — need these same five basic things:
1. oxygen
2. water
3. food Take It Further
Some biotic elements live in
4. energy
habitats without oxygen. Find out
5. suitable habitat (place to live) what living things live in an
environment without oxygen and
As you read about these five basic needs, think about how meeting how they survive. Begin your
research at ScienceSource.
each one requires interaction with other biotic and abiotic elements.

A5 During Reading

Let the Titles Guide You

As you read about the basic needs of living things, understand how interactions with non-living things
you can use the headings to guide your help living things meet their basic needs.
understanding of the information. In your notes,
Oxygen Water Food Energy Habitat
make a list of the headings. For each one, write a
How What
question you would like answered using words do I does
get water
such as Why? Where? What? or How? Keep these oxygen? do for
questions in mind as you read to help you me?

Oxygen
Oxygen is a colourless, odourless gas in Earth’s atmosphere.
You take it into your body when you breathe in. Oxygen
helps your body release and use energy from the food you eat.
Almost every biotic element takes in oxygen to survive
(Figure 1.8).

Water
Your body is about 70% water. Many of the chemical reactions
that keep you alive take place in the water inside your body.
Animals (including humans) must take in clean water to Figure 1.8 Fish use gills to get the
survive. Plants need water to make food. oxygen they need from water.

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 13

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 14

Food
You need to eat food to get the nutrients your body needs
(Figure 1.9). Nutrients are the components of food that your
body converts into energy. They also provide nourishment
for growth. Nutrients include carbohydrates, fats, proteins,
vitamins, and minerals. Your body needs these materials to
make energy to move, grow, and repair and maintain your
Figure 1.9 An orange contains
body’s millions of cells. Most biotic elements get food from
nutrients that help to keep your their environment.
body healthy.

Energy
Oxygen, water, and nutrients from food interact in your body
to produce energy. Energy is what moves your body (Figure
1.10). It keeps your heart beating. It powers your breathing.
You do not think about these activities, but they keep you
alive. Your brain uses about 20% of all the energy your body
produces. It uses this energy to control most of your body and
its activities.
Figure 1.10 Your body needs
energy to keep its systems working.
You also need energy for your Suitable Habitat
activities. As a living thing, you must live in a place where you can
obtain everything you need to survive. Habitat provides
living things with oxygen, water, food, shelter, and anything
else that they need for survival. For example, the beaver in
Figure 1.11 lives in a pond filled with plants that provide food
and shelter. The pond also provides the water the beaver
needs to survive.

Figure 1.11 The habitat of this Interactions to Meet Basic Needs

beaver supplies oxygen, water, food,
and shelter.
Plants use sunlight, soil, and water to grow. Animals use
leaves, branches, trees, or soil for shelter and other living
things for food. These are examples of interactions of biotic
and abiotic elements in ecosystems. In a pond, the plants,
soil, and water create suitable habitat for many different
birds, insects, and fish. Some animals, such as deer, eat
plants. Other animals, such as bears, eat fish and berries.
Feeding interactions give living things the nutrients they
need to survive.

14 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 15

A6 Quick Lab

Interactions of Biotic and Abiotic Elements

In Activity A3, you looked at photographs of two 4. Create a chart like the one below, and list
natural spaces and identified biotic and abiotic everything that you observe. If you are not
elements. Now you are going to take a closer look sure whether something belongs under Biotic
at a natural space you are familiar with to discover or Abiotic, put it in the Not Sure column.
some of the ways that the biotic elements there
meet their basic needs through interactions. Biotic Abiotic Not Sure

Purpose
To explore the interactions between biotic and
abiotic elements in a local area 5. Continue recording your observations until
your teacher asks you to return to the school.
Materials & Equipment
Questions
■ area of schoolyard ■ paper and pencil
■ clipboard ■ magnifier 6. Compare your chart with your classmates’
■ digital camera (optional) charts. Create a class chart of biotic and
abiotic elements you observed in your
schoolyard. Are there observations you
Procedure disagree with? Why would you place them in a
1. Your class will be going into the schoolyard to different category?
observe and record biotic and abiotic 7. As a class, discuss and reclassify the things
elements. Before going outside, work with a recorded in the Not Sure column.
partner to create a list of Courtesy Guidelines
to ensure that everyone respects the habitats 8. In your chart, draw a line between a biotic and
of the different plants and animals in the an abiotic element thing if you think there are
schoolyard. Everyone should follow these interactions between them. You may have
guidelines when working and playing in observed this interaction, or you may think
the schoolyard. there is one. For example, if you observed a
worm (biotic) and soil (abiotic), you could
2. Once in the schoolyard or a location your draw a line connecting the two things. This
teacher specifies, get to know your would connect the worm to the soil it uses for
surroundings. Stand quietly for a few its habitat. In the margin, identify the basic
moments. Listen to the sounds around you, need the interaction meets.
and try to identify any new sounds or smells.
9. From your chart, select two different biotic
3. Draw a rough sketch or take a picture of the elements. Describe how they meet all their
area where you will make your observations. needs through interactions in their habitat.
Your written observations should include
anything you can detect with your senses of
sight, smell, and hearing. Do not taste or touch
anything.

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 15

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 16

1.1 CHECK and REFLECT

Key Concept Review 4. Describe how interactions help the

1. (a) What are your basic needs for following living things survive: dandelion,
survival? hawk, honeybee.

(b) How do your needs compare with

Connect Your Understanding
those of other living things?
5. Describe why Canada geese migrate to
2. Describe interactions you have with the
meet their basic needs.
environment that you depend on to meet
your basic needs. 6. Identify and briefly describe two
ecosystems in your community that are
3. (a) List four biotic elements in the pond beyond your schoolyard. For each of these
shown below. ecosystems, list three biotic and three
(b) List four abiotic elements in this pond. abiotic elements.

7. Explain how one of the biotic elements in

an ecosystem you identified interacts with
other elements to meet its needs.

Practise Your Skills

8. Create a chart or graphic organizer
illustrating the five basic needs of biotic
elements.
For more questions, go to ScienceSource.

ST
A7 Thinking about Science and the Environment SE

Your Ecosystems Mind Map

You are studying how living things interact to As you connect the words and your
survive on Earth. This chapter looks at how understanding of interactions in ecosystems,
ecosystems support life. Later chapters describe indicate the connections on your mind map.
the transfer of energy, cycling of matter, and
Living Things
changes in ecosystems. Use a mind map to
help you record this information.
5 basic needs: Word Wall
To start your mind map, take a blank piece of
– water biotic
Ecosystems
paper and write the word Ecosystems in the – oxygen (living thing)
abiotic
centre as shown here. On the right side of the – food
(non-living
– energy thing)
page, make a column to write new words that
– habitat habitat
you see as you go through the unit. This can be
your personal Word Wall. Figure 1.12

16 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 17

1.2 The Roles of Producers

Here is a summary of what you will learn in this section:
• Plants interact with the Sun’s light and heat to support life on Earth.
• Plants are the only organisms that can use the Sun’s energy to produce food.
• Other living things interact with plants as food or to find or make shelter.

On a sunny day, you can feel the warmth of the Sun on your
face. You might even have to shade your eyes because of its
bright light. Plants also interact with the Sun’s heat and light.
You can notice this in the spring when the Sun’s heat melts the
snow and warms the soil. Plants start to poke up through the
warm soil. They grow rapidly as the days get longer and more
light is available.
The Sun is an essential abiotic element in most ecosystems
(Figure 1.13). The two forms of energy from the Sun — light Figure 1.13 Living things interact
and heat — are important to most life forms on Earth. with the light and heat from the Sun.

A8 Starting Point Skills A C

The Year with No Summer

In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted in the Pacific Consider This
Ocean, east of Java, spewing 150 million tonnes
1. How would the lack of sunlight affect the
of volcanic dust high into Earth’s atmosphere.
normal interactions between biotic and
The ash gradually surrounded Earth and filtered
abiotic elements?
the Sun’s light for months.
The summer months of 1816 were known as 2. Historical documents report that people
“the year with no summer” in North America had to abandon their farms and towns. Do
and parts of Europe. Snow covered areas you think that would happen again if the
around Montreal, Quebec City, and the New Sun’s rays were blocked?
England states for brief periods in June. Crops
sprouted very late and were killed by an early
hard frost in September. Families had no food
for themselves or their livestock for the coming
winter.
Figure 1.14 Volcanoes can spew huge quantities of
dust and gases high into the air.

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 17

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 18

How Producers Use the Sun’s Energy

Plants are called producers. Producers can make their own
food to supply the matter and energy they need to survive.
All sizes and types of green plants, from tiny algae to the
largest trees, are producers (Figure 1.15).

Photosynthesis
Producers use a process called photosynthesis to make food.
Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction that takes place in
the leaves of green plants when the Sun’s light is present.
The green colour visible in most leaves is a compound called
chlorophyll, which is needed in the chemical reaction.
Through photosynthesis, producers combine carbon dioxide, a
colourless, odourless gas from the air, and water from the soil.
Figure 1.15 The algae floating on
This combination forms a sugar product called glucose and a
this pond and the larger plants in the waste product — oxygen (Figure 1.16). The oxygen is released
upper part of the photo are all
back into the air through tiny pores in the plants’ leaves.
producers.

6CO2 + 6H2O (in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll) ➝ C6H12O6 + 6O2

Figure 1.16 Plants produce both food and oxygen during photosynthesis.

18 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 19

Producers’ Roles
All ecosystems have producers. Producers are part of the
interactions that support biotic elements in an ecosystem.
Producers have three roles in an ecosystem:
1. They produce oxygen.
2. They supply food.
3. They provide shelter.

Producers Produce Oxygen

Plants and plant-like biotic elements maintain Earth’s supply
of oxygen. Oxygen is one of the basic needs of living things.
Figure 1.17 A variety of animals
dine on many different parts of
Producers Supply Food producers.
Producers are the only biotic elements that can make their own
food. All other living things must find food to eat in order to
get all the matter and energy they need to survive. Some of
these living things eat only producers. For example, some
insects, deer, rabbits, and cows eat only plants. Others eat the
living things that eat producers. Birds eat insects. Foxes eat
rabbits. Humans eat cows. This means that all feeding
interactions begin with producers.

Producers Provide Shelter

In ecosystems, biotic elements often shelter in plants or use
plants to make their shelters. Birds nest in tree branches.
Squirrels and chipmunks nest in hollowed-out tree trunks.
Insects can live in or on trees, bushes, shrubs, and mosses.
Fish shelter in the cover of aquatic plants in ponds and rivers.
Decaying logs, beaver dams, and birds’ nests are a very few
examples of the shelter provided by or supported by plants in
ecosystems.

Interactions in Ecosystems
Ecosystems are busy places, as biotic elements interact with
other elements to meet their basic needs. Producers take in the
Sun’s energy while they also take in water and nutrients from
the soil. Photosynthesis is under way. Meanwhile, other biotic
elements take shelter or feed.
Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 19
sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 20

Some interactions in an ecosystem can harm one of the

participants. For example, when a garter snake eats a frog,
the frog dies, while the garter snake takes in nutrients
(Figure 1.18). Other interactions benefit both participants.
For example, when a bee feeds on nectar, it also gathers and
distributes pollen. This helps the plants to reproduce.
Constant interactions are part of all ecosystems. Aboriginal
peoples describe these interactions as “connections.”
These connections mean that when something changes in an
ecosystem, the change will affect other parts of the ecosystem.
For example, when a beaver builds a dam and floods an area,
the plants that cannot survive in wet conditions will die. The
Figure 1.18 Some interactions in
ecosystems harm one of the
living things that depend on those plants may have trouble
participants. surviving.

A9 Learning Checkpoint

Plants and the Sun

1. Describe the interaction between the Sun 4. What are the roles of producers in an
and producers. ecosystem?

2. Explain why this interaction is important. 5. Why does a fox need to be in an

ecosystem that includes grass?
3. What is the name of the interaction?

Populations and Communities

As you consider interactions in ecosystems, you will
not be looking at individual biotic elements. Instead
you will be looking at populations and communities.
Populations are groups of individuals that belong
to the same species and live in the same area at the
same time. Species are the most closely related
groups of living things in an ecosystem. The
members of a species can reproduce with each other
and their offspring can reproduce.
A community is made up of populations of
different species that live and interact in a habitat.
Figure 1.19 The population of ducks is part of a pond
The interactions of the populations with each other
community. and the local abiotic elements make up the ecosystem.

20 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 21

For example, the mallard ducks in Figure 1.19 are members

Take It Further
of a population. Around them is a pond habitat, with Humans can eat both meat and
populations of various plants, geese and other birds, insects, plants. However, some humans
and mammals. Together these populations make up the pond prefer to eat only plants and
products made from plants.
community. The pond ecosystem includes the community’s Find out how vegetarians get all
interaction with abiotic elements in the pond, such as the the nutrients they need from
plants. Begin your research at
water, rocks, and soil, and with each other. Within each ScienceSource.
ecosystem, the biotic elements depend on other biotic elements
and abiotic elements for survival.

A10 During Reading

Reading like a Writer

Understanding the organizational pattern used apples. On other farms, the McIntosh
in a piece of non-fiction writing can help you as apple is just one of the many different
a reader. Much of the information presented in fruits and vegetables that are grown in that
this chapter is written as a description. Writers farm community.
use descriptive text pattern when they want to
share the characteristics of something, such as a Using the information you have read in this
concept, animal, plant, or place. Descriptive text section, add details to this paragraph using the
paints a visual picture with words. three Es of writing. The table below summarizes
Give this type of writing a try. The following the three Es and key questions you can ask.
paragraph describes a species, population, and When you have finished adding details to
community of producers in an ecosystem. your paragraph, exchange it with a partner and
read each other’s writing. Suggest one or two
In Ontario, farmers grow many different details that could be added to the paragraph.
types of fruits and vegetables. One popular Incorporate your partner’s suggestions into
type of fruit is the McIntosh apple. Many your paragraph.
farms grow large populations of McIntosh

Es for Stretching Ideas Key Questions to Consider

Expand How is this so?
Extend Such as? For example?
Elaborate And an example is . . .
This looks like . . .
Tell me more about . . .

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 21

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 22

A11 Quick Lab

How an Abiotic Element Affects Producers

Purpose Questions
To find out how sunlight affects Canada’s 3. How was the amount of sunshine related
producers to the growth of plants?

4. What other abiotic elements could affect

Materials & Equipment plant growth? Give some examples and
■ potato production statistics (by province) describe their possible impact.
■ wheat production statistics (by province)
■ apple production statistics (by province) 5. How does organizing the statistical
information in a graph or a chart help you
state and defend a clear conclusion?
Procedure
6. What are some of the factors farmers need
1. Look at the map in Figure 1.20 below to consider when looking for new land to
showing the average annual hours of grow crops on?
sunshine in Canada. What patterns do you
7. How does the growing season (hours of
notice among provinces with similar hours
sunlight) have an effect on where people
of sunshine? Different hours of sunshine?
would choose to live?
2. Compare the production of farm products
8. What role does Canada’s climate play in
to the average hours of sunshine of the
industries related to producers?
areas where they are most commonly
grown. What trends do you notice?

Sunshine
Average annual hours

1800 1200
1800
Resolute 1600
1800 179
2000
1800
253 number of days
Whitehorse with some sun
298 Iqaluit
249

Prince Rupert
245 1400
Churchill Goose Bay
279 265 St. John’s
Edmonton 268
322

Charlottetown
Vancouver 270
289 Regina Winnipeg Quebec
320 312 284
2400 Saint Halifax Figure 1.20 The average amount
N John 290 of sunshine that an area receives
Ottawa 280
0 500 1000 km 309
London will affect the crops that are
294
grown there.

22 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 23

1.2 CHECK and REFLECT

Key Concept Review 6. Plants that live in shallow water have the
1. List two ways the Sun supports life. same roles as plants on dry land. Describe
the roles of plants like the ones shown
2. Explain how the plants in and around a below. Give an example of an interaction
meadow provide habitat for these between one of the plants shown and
animals: butterfly, field mouse, owl. another biotic element in the ecosystem.
3. Explain why photosynthesis is important
for ecosystems everywhere.

Connect Your Understanding

4. Forests and meadows are often cut down
to make way for farms or large numbers
of new homes. What are some of the
elements of ecosystems that are lost when
plants in these areas are removed?
Practise Your Skills
5. How would planting a variety of plants in
7. How can gathering and organizing
a vacant lot help establish an ecosystem
information about ecosystems help you
in that location?
better understand the interactions among
the different elements in an ecosystem?
For more questions, go to ScienceSource.

ST
A12 Thinking about Science and the Environment SE

Connections
On page 17, you read about “the year with no change in one element in an ecosystem has a
summer.” That was 1815, when many eastern ripple effect — like a pebble dropped in a pond —
North Americans could not grow enough food on all the other elements in an ecosystem.
for the next winter. No one knew then that the
eruption of a volcano in the Pacific Ocean had
Consider This
caused their troubles. 1. Do you think it is acceptable for someone
Scientists now understand that the to release old chemicals into a stream?
connections among all biotic and abiotic Explain your answer.
elements on Earth make survival of biotic 2. Do you think it is acceptable for large
elements possible. These connections can be industries to release chemicals into the air?
global or within a tiny ecosystem in a puddle. A Explain your answer.

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 23

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 24

1.3 Producers and Consumers

Here is a summary of what you will learn in this section:
• Animals cannot make their own food and must consume other living things to get nutrients.
• A food chain is a summary of feeding interactions among producers and consumers.
• Decomposers are a special type of consumer. They break down dead organic materials so that the
nutrients can be returned to the ecosystem.

Producers can make their own food from the

Sun’s energy, water, and nutrients, so they
do not feed on other biotic elements. All
other living things in an ecosystem rely on
feeding interactions to supply their food
needs. These organisms are known as
consumers because they have to consume
other organisms. “Organism” is another
word for a biotic element. “Consume” means
to eat or use. Consumers could not exist in
Figure 1.21 In this ecosystem, the sheep are consumers that
an ecosystem without producers. In Figure
feed on the grass. The grass is a producer. 1.21, the sheep are consumers that are eating
producers.

A13 Starting Point Skills P C

Where Does Their Food Come From?

1. Identify six different living things in the
pond ecosystem in Figure 1.22.

2. Classify the six living things into two

groups:

Group 1: can make their own food

Group 2: cannot make their own food

Write these two lists in a T-chart in your

notebook. Label each of the two groups in
your T-chart. Figure 1.22

24 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 25

Types of Consumers
Consumers eat living things to get the nutrients they need.
Some eat fruit. Some eat seeds. Some eat roots. Others eat fish,
birds, small animals, or large ones. Consumers are classified by
the type of living things they eat. Herbivores are animals that
eat plants. Carnivores are animals that eat mostly meat.
Omnivores are animals that eat both meat and plants.
Table 1.1 Types of Consumers

Type of Consumer Food Eaten Examples

Herbivores Plants Moose and aphids
Carnivores Meat Lake trout and wolf
Omnivores Meat and plants Humans and bears

A14 During Reading

Origins of Scientific Words

Knowing the meaning of prefixes and root words or flesh, and so a carnivore is a meat eater. In
can help you make sense of unfamiliar terms. Latin, omni means all or everything, and so an
Scientists often use words from the ancient omnivore eats both plants and animals.
languages of Greek or Latin when they create Often scientific words will appear as bold or
new terms. The root of the words “herbivore,” italicized text. Look for the "Words Matter"
“carnivore,” and “omnivore” comes from the feature boxes in this textbook to find information
Latin word vorare, which means to devour. about the origins of some scientific words.
Herba is the Latin word for plant, so a herbivore Use a dictionary to create a list of other words
devours plants. Carnis is the Latin word for meat that begin with herba, carni, and omni.

Predators and Prey

One type of interaction in an ecosystem is the one between a
carnivore and the animal it eats. An animal that is hunted for
food is called the prey. The animal that hunts and consumes
the prey is called the predator (Figure 1.23). When a coyote
eats a deer, the coyote is the predator and the deer is the prey.
When a wolf eats a coyote, the wolf is the predator and the
coyote is the prey.

Figure 1.23 In meadow ecosystems, birds are predators.

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 25

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 26

Special Consumers:
Scavengers, Detritivores, and Decomposers
All living things eventually die. As well, all consumers
generate waste materials from the food they eat. Our
planet would be littered with dead bodies and waste
materials if not for special groups of consumers. Some of
these consumers are scavengers. Some are detritivores.
Others are decomposers.
Scavengers are consumers that do not usually kill
their own food. Instead, they feed off the remains of dead
animals (Figure 1.24). Crows, ravens, and housefly larvae
Figure 1.24 Vultures and other scavengers get (maggots) are examples of scavengers.
their nutrients by consuming the remains of Detritivores are consumers that feed off waste
dead animals.
(detritus). Snails and earthworms are common examples
of detritivores. Earthworms eat their way through soil
and organic matter (Figure 1.25). Organic matter is
matter derived from living things, such as animal waste
and dead insects. As they do so, their digestive systems
break the material down into nutrients they can absorb
and waste matter they leave behind. The waste matter is
full of nutrients that can be absorbed by plants through
their roots.

Helping or Harming?
Figure 1.25 Worms are another specialized Decomposers are consumers that break down
group of consumers, known as detritivores. (decompose) dead plants and animals into smaller pieces.
Fungi, such as mushrooms and mould on bread, fruits, and
vegetables, are decomposers. Other decomposers, such as
bacteria, are visible only through a microscope. Bacteria
are microscopic living organisms that are decomposers.
E. coli (short for Escherichia coli) are bacteria found in
your large intestine. These bacteria break down the food
you eat in order to get their own food. In the process, they
manufacture several vitamins that your body needs to stay
healthy. Your body needs these bacteria. E. coli O157:H7
bacteria (Figure 1.26) is a form of E. coli sometimes found
in common food products such as ground beef, milk, and
apple juice. When these decomposers break down food,
Figure 1.26 E. coli O157:H7 bacteria they produce highly toxic chemicals that can cause food
poisoning.

26 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 27

Essential to All Ecosystems

Detritivores and decomposers are more than just nature’s
“clean-up crew.” Their actions mean that plants always have a
supply of nutrients available to them. In fact, detritivores and
decomposers connect the biotic elements of ecosystems to the
abiotic elements.

Food Chains
The feeding interaction between producers and consumers can
be shown visually as a food chain (see Figure 1.27). A food
chain always begins with a producer. Then an arrow points
to a consumer that eats the producer. In most cases, there is
another consumer to eat the first one. These feeding
interactions are a key part of all ecosystems.
(a)

(b)

Take It Further
Whales are the top consumers in
some ocean food chains. Find out
about the food chains that support
these large mammals in and
Figure 1.27 In the meadow food chain shown, an oak tree produces acorns, which are around Antarctica. Begin your
food for the squirrel. The squirrel is food for the fox. In the aquatic food chain shown, the research at ScienceSource.
algae use the Sun to produce food. The consumers are the insect larva and the fish.

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 27

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 28

A15 Quick Lab

Food Chains and You

You and the food you eat are part of many 3. Now add the source of the main ingredients
different food chains. you have listed, and link it to the ingredient.
Was the source a producer or a consumer? If it
Purpose was a consumer, add its food source. For
To identify the food chains that brought you your example, if you had cheese on your pizza, it
lunch comes from milk, which comes from a cow. A
cow feeds on grass. Link each of these items
Materials & Equipment in a food chain that leads to your lunch item.
■ paper 4. Repeat the process until you have identified
■ pencils the producer at the beginning of each food
chain.

5. When you have completed the food chains for

Procedure
the meal you chose, look for any patterns in
1. Consider all the different parts of the meal you the lines and arrows.
ate at lunch today or yesterday. For example,
perhaps you had a piece of pizza, apple juice Questions
for a drink, a piece of cheese, or a doughnut.
6. Where do all the food chains that fed you
List them all on a single piece of paper. Leave
begin?
lots of room around each one, and draw a box
around it. 7. How many producers and consumers are
involved in the meal you chose?
2. For those foods that have separate ingredients,
write the ingredients that you know of around
the entry. For example, pizza may have tomato
sauce, flour in the crust, and mushrooms on
top. Link each of these ingredients to the word
“pizza” with arrows. Continue until you have
listed the main ingredients in your lunch.

Figure 1.28 A pizza is made of many ingredients.

28 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 29

SKILLS YOU WILL USE

DI Anchor Activity

A16 Inquiry Activity Toolkit 2 ■

■
Predicting
Recording and Organizing Data

Ecosystem in a Jar, Part 1

Question
What biotic and abiotic elements can you put into
a sealed container to make a healthy ecosystem?

Materials & Equipment

■ glass jar or clear container with lid
■ clean gravel or small rocks
■ pond water
■ distilled water or tap water that has sat
for 24 h Figure 1.29 Pond snail
■ small aquatic organisms such as pond
snails 6. Make a sketch or take a photograph of your
■ aquatic plants such as duckweed or Elodea sealed ecosystem to record its appearance at
■ duct tape the beginning of this activity.

Analyzing and Interpreting

Procedure 7. Discuss with your group the biotic and abiotic
1. Look at the things your teacher has brought in elements of your ecosystem and how you
as possible items to go into the ecosystem jar. think they will interact over the next three
With your group, determine the following: weeks. Record these ideas and prepare a
drawing of what you think the jar will look like
(a) which things are biotic
after three weeks.
(b) which things are abiotic
8. Create a chart that will allow you to record any
2. In your group, identify which biotic elements
changes you observe in the sealed-jar
and which abiotic elements should be placed
ecosystem over the next three weeks. Include
in the sealed jar.
a section in your chart to describe any
3. Before creating your ecosystem, identify any observations of the types of interactions that
precautions you should take when preparing can occur in an ecosystem.
your materials. For example, should the jar be
cleaned with soap or just rinsed with water? Skill Builder
4. Organize your group to make sure that 9. How does what you already know about
everyone has a role in preparing the sealed-jar ecosystems help you make reasonable
ecosystem. predictions?

5. Assemble your ecosystem and seal it. Store it Forming Conclusions

in a place where it can be observed easily. 10. For any changes you observe in the
ecosystem, suggest reasons that might explain
what is happening.

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 29

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 30

1.3 CHECK and REFLECT

Key Concept Review 5. Explain how a vulture consuming the

1. What is the main difference between a remains of a dead raccoon on the side of a
producer and a consumer? Give an highway is helping an ecosystem.
example to support your answer. 6. Many people have fish in an aquarium.
2. Explain what you think happens to a food Discuss with a classmate how an
chain when one part of it is removed or aquarium is not a real ecosystem. Be sure
eliminated. to identify what parts of an ecosystem are
missing. Would it be possible to design
3. Every fall many people put leaves that and build an aquarium as an ecosystem?
have fallen from local trees on their Explain your answer.
gardens. By the following summer, many
of these leaves seem to have disappeared. Practise Your Skills
What happened to them? 7. Choose an ecosystem near your school.
Draw a diagram to show two different
Connect Your Understanding food chains that can be found in that
4. Describe what you think would happen to ecosystem.
an ecosystem if it did not have any For more questions, go to ScienceSource.
decomposers.

ST
A17 Thinking about Science and the Environment SE

Mapping Consequences
Connections among biotic and abiotic elements What to Do
in ecosystems ensure that no change happens 1. Make a list of biotic and abiotic elements
in isolation. The possible consequences of a that could be found in a meadow.
change can be charted in a consequences map,
2. Draw possible food chains based on your
which is similar to a mind map. Instead of
list.
connecting ideas, the graphic connects possible
consequences. 3. List roles that producers and consumers
Use a consequences map to show what play in an ecosystem.
could happen if there was no rain in a meadow
Consider This
ecosystem. What do you think would happen to
4. What do you think would happen to the
the biotic and abiotic elements?
biotic elements in the meadow after a dry
summer? In a box on the left hand side of
your page, write “dry summer.” Map out
the consequences on your page.

30 UNIT A Interactions in the Environment

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 31

Science and Technology in Your World

The Wainfleet Bog

The Wainfleet Bog began to form thousands of Maintaining the Bog
years ago in an expanse of open water that could The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
not drain into nearby Lake Erie. As plants died, monitors the water levels and changes in plant
organic material built up in stagnant water that communities and animal populations to learn
had little oxygen to support the tiny organisms more about a healthy bog ecosystem.
needed for decomposition. Instead, peat formed Groundwater levels are now more consistent, the
and the water became highly acidic. native plants are thriving, and peat is once again
As towns grew up around the bog in the last accumulating. Populations of birds and wildlife
200 years, farms and roads were built, and suited to the bog ecosystem have increased.
people removed peat for use as fuel and People living around the bog continue to
fertilizer. Water became less acidic, and different keep some of their land as supportive habitat. It
plants began to grow. These changes altered the took the efforts of many different groups of
original bog ecosystem and reduced people to preserve this unique ecosystem in
populations of native plants and animals. southern Ontario.

Saving the Bog Questions

The types of plants that can survive in this 1. What ecosystems are preserved in the
ecosystem cannot live anywhere else. Local conservation area closest to your community?
conservation and nature clubs, universities, and
2. Should unique ecosystems be preserved?
different levels of government co-operated to
Explain your reasoning.
re-establish the bog ecosystem. Non-native
trees were cut down and replaced with 3. The people in the community around the
Wainfleet Bog worked together to save it.
plantings suited to the bog conditions. Canals
Describe an environmental project in your
draining the bog were blocked to restore water
community that you could become involved in.
levels, and shallow holes were dug in open
areas to keep water in the bog.

Figure 1.30 Local residents joined in the effort to save the Figure 1.31 The rich, acidic soil of the bog
bog. supports a variety of mosses and plants.

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 31

sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 32

1.0 Chapter Review

Assess Your Learning

Key Concept Review

1. What is an example of an ecosystem in your area? What are
the abiotic and biotic elements that make up that ecosystem?
How do they interact? k

2. Explain how the following organisms meet their basic needs

for living: (a) snake (b) cardinal (c) white pine tree (d)
mushroom. k
After Reading 3. Give examples of two different types of interactions that can
occur in an ecosystem. Explain why these interactions are
Reflect and Evaluate important. k
When readers understand
that text features occur in 4. Why are producers essential to all ecosystems? What would
predictable patterns, they can happen if there were no producers? k
use the features to guide their
comprehension. This lets Connect Your Understanding
them spend more time
5. Use the photo of the meadow below to answer the following
thinking about the content of
questions. a
what they are reading. At the
beginning of this chapter, you (a) Draw three food chains that you would find in the
looked at colour and the size meadow. Identify the different elements in the food
and shape of the type. What chains.
other text features have you
noticed in this chapter? How (b) Explain what would happen to the food chains if:
can previewing text features (i) A toxin was released into the local water supply, and
help you read other types of the mice in the meadow died.
print and electronic text?
(ii) There was an increase in the hawk population.

ACHIEVEMENT CHART CATEGORIES

32 UNIT A k Knowledge and understanding t Thinking and investigation c Communication a Application
sci7_ch01_3rd.qxd 7/15/08 5:10 PM Page 33

6. A forest is a habitat for many different living things. What

happens to these different living things if the forest is
harvested? a

7. Earth’s climate has changed in the past few decades. Northern

areas are becoming warmer. Other parts of the world are
experiencing serious droughts and storms. What effect do you
think these changes will have on the ability of living things,
including humans, to feed themselves? t Unit Task Link
Humans, like all biotic
Practise Your Skills elements, interact with other
biotic and abiotic elements in
8. Make a three-column chart with the title “Type of order to survive. In your
Consumers.” At the top of one column, write “Herbivores.” science notebook, start a list of
Write suitable titles for the other two columns. In each your own interactions with the
column, write the meaning of the word that you have placed biotic and abiotic elements
at the top of the column. In each column, list three examples around you. Which ones are
of animals that are that type of consumer. t necessary to keep you alive?
Which ones are not?

ST
A18 Thinking about Science and the Environment SE

Zoos and Ecosystems

A visit to a zoo gives you a chance to see animals What to Do
from around the world. However, some people 1. Do some research to find out what types of
believe that zoos are not good for the animals. conservation efforts zoos are involved in.
Zoos do more than take care of and display
2. Research some of the concerns people
animals. They are also part of conservation
have about keeping animals in zoos.
projects and are preserving and breeding
animals whose populations are threatened. Consider This
Critics of zoos think that conservation efforts With a classmate or as a whole class, discuss
and protecting ecosystems where the animals the following questions.
actually live would be a better solution than
3. What are some of the advantages of
keeping animals in captivity. Do you think zoos
having animals in zoos?
have a role in conserving and protecting animals?
4. What are some of the disadvantages of
having animals in zoos?

5. What future activities do you think zoos

should be involved in?

Ecosystems are communities where biotic and abiotic elements interact. 33