Explain the role of water in ecosystems.
Explanation should include
- definition of water (the key element for sustaining life and the foundational building block supporting the biochemistry of all life on the planet)
- the water cycle
- evaporation
- transpiration
- sublimation
- condensation
- transportation
- precipitation
- deposition
- infiltration
- surface flow
- plant uptake
- water’s unique properties (e.g., capillary action, surface tension)
- photosynthesis
- plant growth and development
- organisms living within aquatic habitats
- animalia
- archaebacteria
- eubacteria
- protista
- fungi
- plantae
- water as a breeding environment
- the role it plays in weather and climate
- the role of frozen water in Earth’s systems (glaciers and ice caps as a long-term storage system).
Process/Skill Questions:
- Why is water necessary for life processes?
- How do plants use water in photosynthesis and respiration?
- Why do plants need water in photosynthesis?
- How long does water remain in this reservoir of the water cycle?
- What factors may or may not be contributing to water remaining for longer or shorter periods of time in this reservoir of the water cycle?
- What are the implications of the decrease in ice caps and glaciers?
Teacher Resource: