Activities

1. List five components that can be found in a forest ecosystem.
   
   
2. List three living components that can be found in a cornfield ecosystem.
   
   
3. List three nonliving components that can be found in a wetlands ecosystem.

4. Compare and contrast the living components of a farm ecosystem with the living components of a city park ecosystem.
   
   
5. Go outside to your school’s playground.  Make a list of 10 observations about the living and nonliving things in the ecosystem you see.

6. You and your friend, Greg, find a log in his backyard.  Greg says that the log is a living part of the ecosystem.  Do you agree with him?  Explain why or why not.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Examples include, but are not limited to: trees, deer, bears, flowers, soil, air, water, rocks
   
   
2. Examples include, but are not limited to: cactus, snake, coyote, lizard
   
   
3. Examples include, but are not limited to: water, soil, air, rocks, sunlight

4. Similarities include, but are not limited to:

• Plants
• Animals
• Soil

Differences include, but are not limited to:

• Pesticides can be found in farm ecosystems
• Farm ecosystems may receive more water from irrigation systems
• Many more humans disrupt city park ecosystems

5. Student answers will vary.  Accurate observations may include, but are not limited to:

• The grass is living.
• The pavement is non-living.
• The birds (living) rely on trees (living) to provide a home. 
• Some animals, like rabbits (living) burrow into the soil (nonliving) to create a home.

6. Acceptable responses might include, but are not limited to:

• The log is now a nonliving part of this ecosystem 
• When the log was part of a living tree, it had a different role in the ecosystem
• The log is no longer alive.