LENScience
Discussion Questions
This page contains resource questions and discussion points designed to further conversation on the subject of biodiversity.
Questions
1. Three interspecific relationships are Parasitism, Herbivory and Predation. Explain the difference between each one. Why can parasites also be called predators?
2. One of the important nutrient cycles in an ecosystem is the carbon cycle. At certain stages in the carbon cycle the carbon is said to be ’captured’. What does this mean? In what form is it captured?
3. Food chains and food webs are found in all ecosystems, including those created by humans such as agricultural ecosystems. Use your knowledge of food chains and food webs to explain what biological control is.
4. Why do monocultures-based ecosystems have more problems with pests and diseases than natural ecosystems?
Important Vocabulary: Test Yourself
| Abiotic | Biotic | Community |
| Competition | Decomposer | Food chain |
| Food web | Ecosystem | Exploitation |
| Herbivore | Interspecific | Parasitism |
| Population | Predation | Producer |
| Species | Trophic levels |
