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- A niche is the function that an organism performs in the food web of that community. A niche also includes everything else the organism does and needs in its environment. No two types of organisms occupy the exact same niche in a community.
- During its life cycle, an organism’s role in the community, its niche, may change. For example, what an animal eats, what eats it, and other relationships will change.
Life Cycles
* Every organism that lives has a life cycle – a series of specific periods of life, or
phases, that are different from those that come before or after.
* For example – think of yourself. You grew inside your mother. Then you were
born and spent time as an infant. Then you grew into a toddler and gradually
became the bigger child you are today. You will soon be an adolescent and then
reach adulthood and, eventually, old age.
* At each stage of a life cycle, an organism has specific traits, characteristics, and
needs.
* Reptiles and mammals have pretty simple life cycles – before birth, young, and
adult. Typically, the young look like the adults, just smaller.
* Amphibian life cycle is more complicated – They are born, spend their early lives
in the water breathing through gills, and then move to land as they become adults
and breathe through lungs.
* Insects like butterflies also have complicated four stage life cycles –
* Egg – unborn stage
* Larva – young stage where they look like worms/caterpillars – this is when
most of the feeding takes place
* Pupa – inactive stage (when the caterpillar goes into the chrysalis)
* Adult Stage – final stage where the insect is complete and grown
Activities
Activities
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