A producer is an organism that makes its own food.

A consumer is an organism that eats other organisms for food.

A food chain diagram shows how food is transferred from one population of organisms to another.

A group of organisms of the same type in the same place is called a population.

Scientists use models as simpler representations of complex things and ideas.

Food chains

Science

Predator-prey relationships

Adaptations of predators and prey

Food webs

Ecosystems and habitats

Pollination and human food security

Using chemicals in farming

Bioaccumulation

The importance of biodiversity

Pupils will move on to construct and interpret pyramids of number and biomass from food chains data. Pupils will learn about how plants and animals are adapted to survive and the impact of changes to the environment on biodiversity. The importance of biodiversity and the importance of gene banks. How to sample plant and animal populations to aid our understanding and monitoring of populations. 

In Y4 pupils learnt about their local environment and to recognise that environments can change. Pupils also explored examples of human impact (both positive and negative) on environments. Pupils looked at a variety of food chains to identify producers, predators and prey.

This unit explores the interdependence of organisms in ecosystems, including food webs and insect-pollinated crops. It examines how organisms interact with their environment and the impact of toxic materials. It also highlights the importance of biodiversity and preserving genetic material.

Ecosystems

An animal that hunts and eats another animal.

An animal that is caught and eaten by another animal.

A group of organisms of the same type, in the same place, is called a population.

A prey is an animal that is caught and eaten by another animal.

A predator is an animal that hunts and eats other  animals.

An adaptation is a feature that organisms have to help them live in a particular place.

Camouflage is a strategy that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually by blending in with their surroundings.

A habitat is the place where an organism lives. It must provide food, shelter and a place to reproduce.

A community is made up of all the organisms that live in the same place.

A food web diagram shows how all food chains interact with each other.

Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem.

Abiotic factors are the non-living components of an ecosystem.

An ecosystem is made up of all the living organisms in a place, interacting with each other and their non-living surroundings.

Grains of pollen carry genetic material between flowers to enable flowering plants to reproduce.

Pollination is the process where pollen is transferred to the female organs of a plant, to enable seeds to be made.

Organisms are interdependent when they rely upon each other for their survival.

Food security is having enough food to feed the human population.

Fertilisers are minerals that are added to the soil to help plants to grow.

Pesticides are chemicals that are used to kill organisms such as insects and weeds, which prevent crop growth.

Organic farming only uses chemicals that come from other living things (are not man-made).

Herbicides are a type of pesticide. They kill plants. They are sometimes also known as weedkillers.

Insecticides are a type of pesticide. These chemicals kill insects.

A toxic substance is one which is poisonous to organisms.

An increase in the concentration of a chemical within an organism is called bioaccumulation.

Pesticides are chemicals that are used to control pests (organisms that compete with humans for food supplies).

Biodiversity is the range of different living organisms (species) that live in a place.

A species is a group of organisms that are able to reproduce with each other to produce offspring that are also able to reproduce.

Conservation is the process of protecting biodiversity and the environment.

A gene bank is a collection of seeds, plants and animals which are stored to preserve genetic material for the future.

Ecosystems

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