Ecology is the study of the relations between living
things and their environment. An ecologist is a scientist who
studies the relations between living things and their environment.
An ecosystem is a specific community of living creatures and their
environment. The ecosystem can be thought of as an invisible web
that holds life together. This invisible web holds life together for
a group of living things and changes when anything new comes into or
leaves the web. What happens if the web breaks? Nature is out
of balance.
People are part of an ecosystem. People are
affected by their environment and they can affect their environment.
Here are some examples of how people affect their environment in bad or
negative ways.
Water Pollution
People put chemicals and particles into
water. Factories dump chemicals and waste into rivers and
lakes. Farmers use chemicals, artificial fertilizers and insect
killers. These things cause harmful plants to grow that suffocate
fish and other plants. These chemicals can also be harmful when
people and animals drink the water.
Air Pollution
Exhaust from cars, trucks, and school
busses pollute the air. Factories also send smoke into the air that contains unhealthy chemicals. To pollute means to make something
dirty, impure, or unsafe.
People can help keep nature in balance. One way is
to conserve. Conserve means using something carefully and not
wasting it. Using both sides of a sheet of paper, rather than only
one side is conserving. Turning the temperature down a few degrees
is another way to conserve. There are many ways to conserve oil,
trees, clean water and land so they will be there for the future.
Another way to conserve our nature resources is to
recycle. Many cities have recycling programs. Lots of stuff
can be recycled: newspapers, grocery bags, cardboard, glass, and many
kinds of plastic. Recycling not only conserves natural resources, it
also helps reduce air and water pollution.
Directions: Answer the questions about ecology
and ecosystems.
Which of the following is the
invisible thread which holds life together?
ecology
ecosystem
ecologist
What is the name of a scientist who
studies relations between living things and their environment?
geologist
biologist
ecologist
What is the study of the relations between living
things and their environment called?
ecology
biology
chemistry
Exhaust from cars, trucks, and school
busses is an example of
water pollution
air
pollution
Which word means: to use something carefully and not
waste it?
conserve
recycle
Which word means: to make something
dirty, impure, or unsafe?
conserve
pollute
recycle
Oil,
trees, clean water and land are examples of
natural resources
pollution
recycling
Which of the following items can be
recycled?
trees
lakes
newspaper
Turning the temperature down a few degrees
is a good example of how to
conserve
recycle
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