Year 7 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 11

Ecosystems — Biotic and Abiotic

Apply Worksheet

Name
Date
Class

Learning Goals

Warm Up

Because… chain

A drought is reducing rainfall in the Blue Mountains. Fill in the missing effects. Each cause leads to the next step in the chain.

Cause: Drought reduces rainfall in the Blue Mountains over several months.
→
Effect: Soil moisture levels drop significantly across the forest.
→
Effect: Grasses and understorey plants wilt and die back.
→
Effect: Herbivore populations (e.g. kangaroos) decline due to food shortage.
→

Overall outcome for ecosystem biodiversity:

Your Turn

Compare two

Complete the table to compare a Sydney Harbour estuarine ecosystem with a Blue Mountains eucalyptus forest ecosystem. Use what you know from the lesson.

Feature Sydney Harbour (Estuary) Blue Mountains (Eucalyptus Forest)
Main abiotic factors
Dominant producers (plants / algae)
Example consumers (animals)
Water availability
One key threat to this ecosystem

Show What You Know

1. A farmer clears all the gum trees from one section of a Blue Mountains ecosystem. Using cause-and-effect language, explain TWO ways this would affect the abiotic factors in that area.

Apply 3 marks

2. Sydney Harbour receives freshwater from the Parramatta River but is also connected to the ocean. Explain how this mix of water sources affects which organisms (biotic factors) can survive there.

Apply 3 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?

HSCScience · Year 7 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 11 · Apply Worksheet