I.
Key Words and New Words
📌 Different Habitats
Habitat – The natural home of a living organism.
Ecosystem – A system where living organisms interact with each other and
their environment.
Mangrove forest – A coastal forest where trees grow in saltwater.
Sea ice – Frozen ocean water that forms in polar regions.
Rice paddy – A flooded field used for rice farming.
Decomposer – An organism that breaks down dead material.
Predator – An animal that hunts and eats other animals.
Prey – An animal that is hunted and eaten by predators.
📌 Bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation – The build-up of toxic substances in an organism over
time.
Biomagnification – The increasing concentration of toxins as they move up
the food chain.
Persistent chemical – A chemical that does not break down easily.
Toxic – Poisonous and harmful to organisms.
DDT – A pesticide that accumulates in living organisms.
Food chain – A sequence showing how energy and nutrients pass through
organisms.
📌 Intruders in an Ecosystem
Native species – Species that naturally exist in an ecosystem.
Invasive species – A species that spreads and disrupts an ecosystem.
Eradicate – To completely remove something.
Extinct – No longer existing.
II. Key Content
📌 1. Different Habitats and Their Characteristics
Habitat Characteristics
Coastal, trees grow in saltwater, muddy and nutrient-rich,
Mangrove Forest 🌳🌊
home to fish, crabs, and decomposers.
Sea Ice (Arctic Extremely cold, covered with ice, algae grow under ice,
Ocean) ❄️🌊 home to seals, polar bears, and Arctic foxes.
Man-made, flooded fields, warm and humid, supports algae,
Rice Paddy 🌾💧
fish, frogs, and birds.
1. Mangrove Forest 🌳🌊
Characteristics:
Located along tropical and subtropical coastlines.
Trees have roots that grow in saltwater.
Muddy and nutrient-rich soil.
Provides shelter for small fish, crabs, and other marine life.
Decomposing leaves support a complex food chain.
2. Sea Ice in the Arctic Ocean ❄️🌊
Characteristics:
Extremely cold environment where seawater freezes.
Covered with thick ice sheets in winter.
Limited plant life, but algae grow under the ice.
Supports seals, polar bears, and Arctic foxes.
Melts and refreezes seasonally, affecting animal migration.
3. Rice Paddy 🌾💧
Characteristics:
A man-made habitat used for farming rice.
Flooded fields create a shallow-water ecosystem.
Warm and humid environment.
Supports algae, fish, frogs, insects, and birds.
Fertilizers influence the growth of plants and animals.
📌 2. Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Bioaccumulation: Toxins (like DDT) enter an organism’s body and do not
break down.
Biomagnification: Toxins increase in concentration as they move up the
food chain.
Impact:
o DDT causes bird eggshells to weaken, reducing bird populations.
o Predators at the top of the food chain have the highest toxin levels.
📌 3. Intruders in an Ecosystem
Invasive species spread quickly and harm native species.
Examples:
o Rats in New Zealand eat bird eggs, causing some species to go
extinct.
o Buffelgrass in the Sonoran Desert outcompetes native plants for
nutrients and water.
Difficult to eradicate because:
o They reproduce fast.
o They have no natural predators in the new environment.
