12

Lesson 12 of 84 ยท Ecosystems

Experimentโญ 30 XP๐ŸŒฟ Wild Jungle

Predator and Prey Relationships

๐ŸงชLab Brief #12

Ecosystems.

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

โšก The twist

Living things break the rules of non-living things โ€” find the rule they break.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐ŸŒณ Trees can talk to each other through underground fungus networks.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what will happen to the plant if you change the water?

What You'll Learn

Predator-prey relationships help keep ecosystems balanced. When prey populations increase, predator populations grow too. When predators reduce prey numbers, predator populations then decline.

Key Words

  • cell
  • nucleus

Materials Needed

  • small pots
  • cotton balls
  • zip-lock bags
  • labels
  • seeds

Safety First

  • Clean up spills immediately to prevent slipping.
  • Use materials only as directed in the experiment.
  • Keep small objects away from young children.

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Set up a composting experiment: place food scraps in one sealed bag and leaves in another. Observe decomposition over two weeks and record changes.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Draw a detailed diagram of what you observe.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Write a conclusion: what did your results show? Did they match your prediction?

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What is the difference between a predator and prey?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

This is why plants grow toward windows and why scabs form.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Watch a plant or pet for 5 minutes today and write down what you noticed.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

For the dinner table

โ€œTell me something you noticed about your own body today.โ€

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Checkout complete lesson on Ecosystems for 6th Grade

Get the full Ecosystems track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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