Habitats and Ecosystems — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
Frogs live in the desert because they need dry, sandy soil.
Corrected: Frogs live in wetlands because they need moist, watery places.
Frogs have moist skin that dries out fast, so a hot sandy desert would kill them; wetlands give them the damp, watery home they actually need.
2. Fix the sentence:
A toucan builds its nest in the icy tundra.
Corrected: A toucan builds its nest in the tropical rainforest.
Toucans are warm-weather birds that nest in tall rainforest trees and eat tropical fruit; the tundra is far too cold and treeless for them to survive.
3. Fix the sentence:
Earthworms break down sunlight to make food for plants.
Corrected: Earthworms break down dead leaves to return nutrients to the soil.
Earthworms are decomposers, not producers — only plants can use sunlight to make food, while worms eat dead plant matter and recycle the nutrients back into the dirt.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A wetland habitat has a lot of water and soggy ground.
The word "wetland" itself contains "wet," meaning the ground is soaked with standing water like in marshes and swamps.
2. A tropical rainforest gets heavy rain and has many tall trees.
A rainforest is named for the heavy daily rainfall that lets huge trees like kapok and mahogany grow tall and thick near the equator.
3. Animals that eat only plants are called herbivores.
The prefix "herb-" comes from a word meaning plant, so herbivores are plant-only eaters like cows, deer, and rabbits.
4. When an animal blends in with its surroundings, it is using camouflage.
Camouflage is an adaptation where an animal's color or pattern matches its surroundings so predators or prey cannot easily spot it, like a green katydid on a leaf.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. A wetland is home to frogs, turtles, and many water birds.
True False
Wetlands have shallow water and lots of plants, which give frogs, turtles, herons, and ducks the food and shelter they need to thrive.
2. Every ecosystem has only one type of animal living in it.
True False
Healthy ecosystems contain many species that depend on each other through food chains; even a small pond holds fish, frogs, insects, and birds together.
3. Plants are important because they produce oxygen for animals.
True False
During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen as a waste product, and that oxygen is exactly what animals need to breathe.