Starter quiz
- For some organisms, animal waste and dead organisms are a useful source of ...
- 'food' ✓
- Organisms that break down dead organisms and waste materials are called ...
- herbivores
- carnivores
- decomposers ✓
- producers
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- The apple tree in the image is an example of what type of organism?
- herbivore
- carnivore
- decomposer
- predator
- producer ✓
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- What are the abiotic factors that can be seen in the image?
- salmon
- bear
- rocks ✓
- water ✓
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- Snakes and succulents are two biotic factors in a desert ecosystem. Which two abiotic factors do they rely upon?
- insects and light
- water and insects
- water and soil ✓
- soil and insects
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- Which of the following shows an abiotic factor interacting with a biotic factor in the environment?
- Low light intensity affects the growth of forest pine trees. ✓
- Moth caterpillars eat the leaves of apple trees.
- Water temperature affects its oxygen level.
- Eels survive by attaching themselves to trout.
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Exit quiz
- What is the layer of gas called that surrounds the planet Earth?
- 'atmosphere' ✓
- Carbon dioxide is made up of two elements, carbon and oxygen. How many carbon atoms and oxygen atoms are in one molecule of carbon dioxide?
- one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms ✓
- one carbon atom and one oxygen atom
- two carbon atoms and one oxygen atom
- two carbon atoms and two oxygen atoms
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- What percentage of the air we breathe is carbon dioxide?
- 80%
- 20%
- 1%
- 0.04% ✓
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- What is happening as a result of human activities such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels?
- It is adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. ✓
- It is contributing climate change. ✓
- It is removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- It is slowing climate change.
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- Organisms that break down dead organisms and organic material are called ...
- 'decomposers' ✓
- The image shows a part of the carbon cycle. Put the following words in the correct order from a to d.
- 1⇔photosynthesis
- 2⇔feeding
- 3⇔respiration
- 4⇔combustion
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Carbon is found in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
- The carbon cycle shows how carbon is recycled between organisms and the atmosphere.
- Carbon dioxide can be removed from the atmosphere by plants, who use it during the process of photosynthesis.
- Carbon is returned to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels and the decay of dead plant and animal material.
Common misconception
The atmosphere is made up of mainly oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Explain that Earth's atmosphere is delicately balanced. There is enough oxygen to maintain life, and enough carbon dioxide to help insulate the planet, maintaining the temperature that allows life to exist.
Keywords
Atmosphere - The atmosphere is a layer of gases that surround a planet. It may contain small amounts of solid and liquid particles.
Combustion - In a combustion reaction, fuel is burned and reacts with oxygen to provide energy. Carbon dioxide is released in combustion reactions.
Cellular respiration - Cellular respiration is a chemical process in cells, which uses glucose as a fuel to provide energy for life processes.
Photosynthesis - Producers make their own food using a series of chemical reactions called photosynthesis. The reaction includes taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.