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Answer key - Long Answers

Prepared by: learnloophq@gmail.com

Last edited 27 days ago by Learn LoopHQ.

Chapter: 07. Plants And Animals Depend On Each Other

How do decomposers help maintain the balance of nature, and what is an example of their use?

Answer: Decomposers help maintain the balance of nature by breaking down the decaying matter of dead plants and animals into simpler substances, returning essential nutrients to the soil. These nutrients are then used by plants to grow, ensuring the continuation of the food chain and supporting all living things. An example of their use is earthworms in vermicomposting, where they feed on decaying matter in the soil and enrich it with their faeces, converting wet garbage into manure. This process helps recycle nutrients, keeping the environment healthy and balanced.

Points to remember: Decomposers = break down dead matter; nutrients = soil; example = earthworms, vermicomposting; balance = nutrient cycle.

What are the different types of consumers, and how do they contribute to the food chain?

Answer: The different types of consumers are herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores, each playing a vital role in the food chain. Herbivores, like deer and cows, eat plants, transferring energy from producers to the next level of the chain. Carnivores, like lions and tigers, eat herbivores, with some, called scavengers, like vultures, feeding on dead animals, helping to clean the environment. Omnivores, like bears and crows, eat both plants and animals, linking different parts of the food chain, ensuring the flow of energy through various organisms in the environment.

Points to remember: Consumers = herbivores, carnivores, omnivores; herbivores = eat plants; carnivores = eat animals, scavengers; omnivores = both; energy flow.

What is the role of photosynthesis in the interdependence of plants and animals?

Answer: Photosynthesis plays a crucial role in the interdependence of plants and animals by allowing plants to produce their own food, which serves as the base of the food chain for animals. During photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide from the air, water from the soil, sunlight, and chlorophyll to make food, releasing oxygen as a byproduct. Animals depend on this oxygen to breathe, while they breathe out carbon dioxide, which plants use for photosynthesis. This exchange of gases ensures a continuous cycle, supporting the survival of both plants and animals in the environment.

Points to remember: Photosynthesis = food, oxygen; plants = carbon dioxide, water, sunlight, chlorophyll; animals = oxygen, carbon dioxide exchange.

How do plants and animals depend on each other for food in an environment?

Answer: Plants and animals depend on each other for food through a food chain, where plants, as producers, make their own food using photosynthesis, providing energy for animals. Animals, as consumers, eat plants directly if they are herbivores, or eat other animals if they are carnivores or omnivores, transferring energy through the chain. Scavengers feed on dead animals, cleaning up the environment, while decomposers, like bacteria, break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil. These nutrients are then used by plants to grow, continuing the cycle of dependence for food in the environment.

Points to remember: Plants = producers, make food; animals = consumers, eat plants/animals; food chain = energy flow; decomposers = nutrient cycle.

What is the balance of nature, and how is it maintained?

Answer: The balance of nature is the stable balance in the numbers of each species in an environment, ensuring that no single species overpopulates or disappears, keeping the ecosystem healthy. It is maintained through food chains and food webs, where plants, animals, and decomposers co-exist, with each species playing a role in the flow of energy and nutrients. All species of plants and animals are important, as producers provide food, consumers transfer energy, and decomposers recycle nutrients, supporting interdependence. This co-existence prevents overgrazing, starvation, or habitat destruction, preserving the balance of nature.

Points to remember: Balance = stable species numbers; maintained = food chains, webs; role = all species; co-existence = interdependence.

How can a disturbance in one part of a food chain affect the balance of nature, and what are some examples?

Answer: A disturbance in one part of a food chain can affect the balance of nature by altering the numbers of species, disrupting the flow of energy and nutrients, and impacting the entire ecosystem. For example, if all grass dries up during a drought, deer will have no food and may die, leading to a decrease in the number of foxes and leopards that depend on deer for food, causing a ripple effect through the chain. Another example is if foxes and leopards are hunted in large numbers, the deer population may increase, leading to overgrazing of grass and plants, which can destroy forests and habitats. Widespread pesticide use decimates insect populations, reducing food for insectivorous animals like birds and amphibians, which then starves their predators and disrupts plant pollination. This ripple effect ultimately causes a decline in species like frog and snakes. These disturbances show how interconnected species are, and how a change in one part can upset the balance of nature.

Points to remember: Disturbance = affects balance; examples = drought → deer → foxes; hunting → deer → overgrazing; impact = species numbers.

What is a food chain, and how does it differ from a food web?

Answer: A food chain is a single chain of eating and being eaten in an environment, showing the flow of food energy, such as a plant being eaten by a deer, which is then eaten by a lion, followed by scavengers and decomposers. It represents a linear path of energy transfer from producers to consumers and decomposers. A food web, however, is a network of many interconnected food chains, showing the complex feeding relationships among various organisms in an environment. Unlike a food chain, a food web illustrates how most plants and animals are part of multiple chains, providing a more complete picture of energy flow.

Points to remember: Food chain = single energy flow; example = plant → deer → lion; food web = multiple chains; interconnected = complex.

What are the human-made factors that upset the balance of nature, and how do they impact the environment?

Answer: Human-made factors that upset the balance of nature include deforestation, land development, pollution, the introduction of new species, and hunting, each causing significant environmental damage. Deforestation and land development destroy habitats, reducing living spaces for plants and animals, while pollution harms species and disrupts ecosystems, affecting their survival. The introduction of new species can disrupt food chains by competing with or preying on existing species, and hunting reduces animal populations, leading to imbalances, such as overgrazing by herbivores if predators are removed. These actions impact the environment by altering species numbers, destroying habitats, and disrupting the natural balance, making it challenging for ecosystems to recover.

Points to remember: Human-made = deforestation, land development, pollution, new species, hunting; impact = habitats, species; example = overgrazing.

What are the natural causes of imbalance in nature, and how do they affect the environment?

Answer: Natural causes of imbalance in nature include the sudden death of a species and natural disasters, such as forest fires, floods, and diseases, which disrupt the environment. These events can affect the environment by reducing the population of certain species, destroying habitats, and altering food chains, leading to an imbalance in species numbers. For example, a drought can dry up grass, causing herbivores like deer to die from lack of food, which then affects carnivores like foxes that depend on them, disrupting the food chain. Such natural disturbances can have long-lasting effects on the ecosystem, making it difficult to maintain the balance of nature.

Points to remember: Natural causes = sudden death, disasters; disasters = forest fires, floods, diseases; affect = species, habitats; example = drought.

How do plants and animals depend on each other beyond food, and what are some examples?

Answer: Plants and animals depend on each other beyond food through gas exchange, shelter, pollination, and seed dispersal, ensuring their survival and reproduction. Plants release oxygen during photosynthesis, which animals need to breathe, while animals breathe out carbon dioxide, which plants use for photosynthesis, creating a vital gas exchange cycle. Animals, such as birds, squirrels, and monkeys, depend on plants for shelter, using trees for nesting and protection, while plants depend on animals like bees and butterflies for pollination to produce fruits and seeds for reproduction. Additionally, animals help in seed dispersal, carrying seeds to new locations, aiding plant growth, as seen with birds spreading seeds through their droppings.

Points to remember: Beyond food = gas exchange, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal; examples = oxygen, carbon dioxide, bees, birds.

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