Interactions and Interdependence in Ecosystems is one of 9 topics in the Grade 8 Natural Sciences CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. What is ecology?
The study of interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment
The study of rocks and minerals
The study of the stars and planets
The study of chemical reactions
Answer: The study of interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment — Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with one another and with their physical and chemical environment.
Easy
2. Which organisms are called "producers" in an ecosystem?
Plants, because they make their own food
Carnivores, because they produce meat
Decomposers, because they produce nutrients
Herbivores, because they produce plant matter
Answer: Plants, because they make their own food — Plants (and algae) are producers because they make their own food through photosynthesis.
Medium
3. Give ONE word for an organism, such as a hyena or vulture, that eats animals that are already dead.
Answer: scavenger — A scavenger eats animals that are already dead, unlike a predator, which hunts and kills its own prey.
