Habitats and Ecosystems — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A food chain shows how energy moves from one living thing to another.
Energy is essential for all living things to grow, move, and carry out life processes.
2. Green plants that make their own food are called producers.
Producers, like plants, make their own food through photosynthesis using sunlight.
3. Animals that eat other living things are called consumers.
Consumers are animals that cannot make their own food and must eat other organisms.
4. Mushrooms and bacteria that break down dead things are called decomposers.
Decomposers like fungi and bacteria break down dead matter and return nutrients to the soil.
5. Every food chain begins with energy from the sun.
The sun provides the energy that producers use to make food, which flows through the entire ecosystem.
6. A rabbit is a herbivore because it eats only plants.
Herbivores are consumers that eat only plants, such as deer and rabbits.
7. A lion is a carnivore because it eats other animals.
Carnivores are consumers that eat only other animals, such as lions and hawks.
8. An animal that eats both plants and animals is called an omnivore.
Omnivores eat both plants and animals, such as bears and humans.
9. When one part of a food chain is removed, the whole chain is affected.
Removing one part of a food chain affects the entire ecosystem because all organisms depend on each other.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
camel
→ desert
tundra
penguin
→ tundra
grassland
parrot
→ forest
desert
bison
→ grassland
forest
Camels live in the desert, penguins live in the tundra, parrots live in the forest, and bison live in the grassland.