Evaporation
Water changes into water vapor.
Memory hint: ocean or puddle → invisible vapor.
🌿 Ecology Part II Review Lab
Mission: Master the Ecosystem
Review water cycles, stream health, photosynthesis, relationships, pH, watersheds, composting, and decomposers through short, active learning tabs. Study the terms first, then check your answers as you go.
Start Here: Term Review
This first page is only for going over the key terms. Click a card to reveal a student-friendly definition and memory hint.
No score yet — just learn
Transpiration
Plants release water vapor into the air.
Memory hint: trees “breathe out” water vapor.
Condensation
Water vapor cools and forms clouds.
Memory hint: vapor comes together as cloud droplets.
Precipitation
Water falls from clouds to Earth.
Examples: rain, snow, sleet, hail.
Runoff
Water moves across land into a body of water.
Memory hint: water “runs off” the ground.
Infiltration
Water soaks into the ground.
Memory hint: into the ground = infiltration.
Photosynthesis
Plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make glucose and oxygen.
Inputs → outputs: Sun + CO₂ + H₂O → glucose + O₂.
Chlorophyll
The green plant pigment that absorbs energy from sunlight.
Without it, plants could not make food well, grow, or reproduce.
Mutualism
Both organisms benefit.
Example: yucca moth gets a place for eggs; yucca plant gets pollinated.
Parasitism
One organism benefits while the other is harmed.
Example: a tick sucks blood from a human.
Competition
Organisms fight or compete for the same resource.
Example: male elk fight over mates.
Predation
One organism hunts and eats another organism.
Predator = hunter; prey = hunted.
pH
A measure of how acidic or basic a substance is.
7 is neutral. Lemon juice is acidic. Soap is basic.
Watershed
An area where runoff drains into a specific body of water.
When rain falls there, water eventually moves toward the same water body.
Salinity / Brackish
Salinity is the amount of salt in water. Brackish water is freshwater mixed with saltwater.
The Chesapeake Bay has brackish areas.
Decomposers
Living things that break down dead matter.
Examples: worms, bacteria, fungi, and insects.
Ready check before moving on:
Can you explain the difference between runoff and infiltration? Can you name the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis? Can you identify an example of mutualism, parasitism, and competition?
Water Cycle Mission
Build the major water cycle processes, then connect movement clues to the correct process.
Skill: systems thinking
Surface WaterOceans, rivers, lakes, puddles
🌊
Air / CloudsWater vapor cools and gathers
☁️
Land / GroundwaterWater runs off or soaks in
⛰️
Part A: Name the six processes
Choose the six parts of the water cycle from the answer bank.
EvaporationTranspirationCondensationPrecipitationRunoffInfiltration
Water changes to vapor.
Plants release water vapor.
Vapor cools and forms clouds.
Part B: Movement clues
Choose the missing process needed to move water between locations.
Ocean → water vapor
Clouds → ground
Ground → underground
Trees → water vapor
Stream Health Lab
Use the stream data to decide whether each measurement looks healthy or unhealthy. Healthy data gets a smile; unhealthy data gets a frown.
Skill: data interpretation
Lab rule:
You are not memorizing random numbers. You are practicing how scientists use data to make a claim about water quality.
| Measurement | Data | Your claim |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 3, acidic | |
| Nitrates | 20 | |
| Phosphates | 0 | |
| Turbidity | Very cloudy | |
| Dissolved Oxygen | 2% | |
| Temperature | 89° Celsius |
Explain like a scientist
Pick one frown result. Write one sentence explaining why it is a warning sign for stream health.
Photosynthesis Factory
Sort the ingredients and products, then explain why chlorophyll matters.
Skill: cause and effect
☀️ Sunlight + CO₂ + H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂
Factory Sort
Decide whether each item is an ingredient/input or a product/output.
Sunlight
Carbon dioxide / CO₂
Water / H₂O
Glucose / C₆H₁₂O₆
Oxygen / O₂
Chlorophyll Check
Complete the plant-energy explanation.
Chlorophyll makes plants look...
Chlorophyll absorbs energy from...
Without chlorophyll, plants could not...
One-sentence challenge
Ecology Relationships Safari
Classify each interaction. Look for who benefits, who is harmed, and whether organisms are competing for the same resource.
Skill: classification
Relationship Clue Board
Mutualism: both benefit.
Parasitism: one benefits, one is harmed.
Competition: organisms compete for the same resource.
Predation: one organism hunts/eats another.
Commensalism: one benefits, the other is not helped or harmed.
Yucca Mutualism Spotlight
Yucca moths lay eggs in yucca seedpods while pollinating the plant. The larvae eat some seeds, but the plant still gets pollinated.
Why mutualism? The moth gets a place to lay eggs, and the yucca plant gets pollinated.
🦟
Tick sucking blood from humans
One organism benefits; the other is harmed.
One organism benefits; the other is harmed.
🦌
Male elk fight over mates
Two organisms compete for the same resource.
Two organisms compete for the same resource.
🌺
Ghost orchid and the moth that pollinates it
The moth gets something useful and the plant gets pollinated.
The moth gets something useful and the plant gets pollinated.
🦉
An owl catches and eats a mouse
One organism hunts another organism for food.
One organism hunts another organism for food.
🐦
A bird builds a nest in a tree without harming the tree
One benefits; the other is not helped or harmed.
One benefits; the other is not helped or harmed.
Explain the yucca example
pH + Chesapeake Bay Quest
Review acidity, basic substances, neutral water, watershed states, and key vocabulary.
Skill: vocabulary application
pH Speed Check
What does pH measure?
What liquid is neutral?
What liquid is acidic with a pH of 2?
What substance is basic with a pH of 12?
Chesapeake Bay Watershed States
Select at least three states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Vocabulary Match-Up
A mixture of freshwater and saltwater
The amount of salt in water
An area where rain and runoff drain into a specific body of water
Anything that runs off into a body of water
Compost + Decomposer Lab
Decide what cannot go into a backyard compost pile, then name common decomposers.
Skill: sorting evidence
Backyard Compost Sort
Click the items that cannot be composted in a backyard compost pile.
Decomposer Detective
Name three types of decomposers from the review.
Decomposer 1
Decomposer 2
Decomposer 3
Possible answers: worms
bacteria
fungi
insects
Study connection:
Composting works because decomposers break down once-living matter and return nutrients to the ecosystem.
Final Tab: Practice Test
Try every question first. Press “Score Practice Test” when you are ready. Your results will show what to review.
Skill: test readiness
1. Which water cycle process forms clouds when water vapor cools?
2. Clouds → ground is best described as...
3. A stream has dissolved oxygen of 2%. What claim should you make?
4. Which list contains the main ingredients for photosynthesis?
5. What is the role of chlorophyll?
6. A tick sucking blood from a human is an example of...
7. Why is the yucca moth and yucca plant relationship mutualism?
8. What does pH measure?
9. What liquid is considered neutral?
10. A mixture of freshwater and saltwater is called...
11. An area where runoff drains into a specific body of water is a...
12. Which item should not go in a backyard compost pile?
13. Which is a decomposer?
14. Which state is in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed?
15. Male elk fighting over mates is an example of...
Ecology Part II Interactive Review • Self-checking HTML study tool