7^th Grade Science Ecology Name: _______________

1. Which would contain land organisms in a simulated environment?

a) Aquarium b) Diorama c) Panorama d) Terrarium

2. Give two benefits of wetlands:

3. Wood is mainly a carbohydrate structure. People turn wood into charcoal, which is mostly carbon, for some fuels. The tree got the carbon for its wood from:

a) Microorganisms in the soil b) Dirt

c) Carbon dioxide gas in the air d) Water

4. Louis Pasteur showed:

a) Water generates life b) Organisms come from other organisms

c) Alcohol kills bacteria d) None of these

5. Yeast: a) Are microscopic b) Turn sugar into alcohol

c) Make carbon dioxide d) All of these

6. Which of these theories have been proven false?

a) Evolution b) Spontaneous generation c) Atomic Theory

d) None of these; theories cannot be proven false, only useful or not

7. Vaccinations involve: a) Ghosts b) Natural reactions between organisms

c) Viruses d) Bacteria

8. If wetlands are to be maintained, they must be protected from fire. TRUE or FALSE

9. Why do carnivorous plants trap insects?

10. “Potable” means: a) Drinkable b) Dead c) Marijuana d) Terrarium

11. What is the ultimate purpose of animals?

12. Living things in the wetlands help clean the water. TRUE or FALSE

13. Water spreads out across wetlands to lessen flooding impact. TRUE or FALSE

14. Dirt from the moon would kill plants. TRUE or FALSE

15. Describe how you want your terrarium to look:

What are Wetlands?

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. An immense variety of species of microbes, plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals can be part of a wetland ecosystem. Physical and chemical features such as climate, landscape shape (topology), geology, and the movement and abundance of water help to determine the plants and animals that inhabit each wetland. The complex, dynamic relationships among the organisms inhabiting the wetland environment are referred to as food webs. This is why wetlands in Texas, North Carolina, and Alaska differ from one another.

Wetlands can be thought of as "biological supermarkets." They provide great volumes of food that attract many animal species. These animals use wetlands for part of or all of their life-cycle. Dead plant leaves and stems break down in the water to form small particles of organic material called "detritus." This enriched material feeds many small aquatic insects, shellfish, and small fish that are food for larger predatory fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals.

The functions of a wetland and the values of these functions to human society depend on a complex set of relationships between the wetland and the other ecosystems in the watershed. A watershed is a geographic area in which water, sediments, and dissolved materials drain from higher elevations to a common low-lying outlet or basin a point on a larger stream, lake, underlying aquifer, or estuary.

Wetlands play an integral role in the ecology of the watershed. The combination of shallow water, high levels of nutrients, and primary productivity is ideal for the development of organisms that form the base of the food web and feed many species of fish, amphibians, shellfish, and insects. Many species of birds and mammals rely on wetlands for food, water, and shelter, especially during migration and breeding.

Wetlands' microbes, plants, and wildlife are part of global cycles for water, nitrogen, and sulfur. Furthermore, scientists are beginning to realize that atmospheric maintenance may be an additional wetlands function. Wetlands store carbon within their plant communities and soil instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Thus wetlands help to moderate global climate conditions.

16. This article is about:_______________________________________________

17. Name three organisms it says live in this environment:

18. There is very little food available in wetlands. TRUE or FALSE

19. In wetlands, most of the water is: a) Deep b) Shallow

20. Would you like to live in a wetlands area? ____________

Why, or why not?

You might want to consider: Lots of hunting, clean water, and that huge alligator caught in New Orleans!