Question

1. explore: using the gizmo, try to figure out what bears depend on for nutrition.
2. form hypothesis: how do bears get the energy and nutrients they need?
3. predict: based on your hypothesis, which population(s) would be hurt if bears were added?
4. test: click reset. click advance year a couple times. add as many bears to the forest as possible. then go forward a couple more years. select the data tab. which populations were hurt by adding bears?
5. classify: are bears producers or consumers? explain your reasoning.
6. draw conclusions: an organism that breaks down organic matter into simpler materials (like carbon dioxide) is called a decomposer. decomposers absorb nutrients from living things or the organic matter they leave behind. they do not need to kill to get their food. do your results suggest bears are decomposers? explain your reasoning.

Explanation:

1. Bears get energy and nutrients from sources like plants (berries, nuts), fish, and small - to medium - sized animals.
2. If bears are added, populations of their prey such as fish, small mammals (like rodents), and some birds would be hurt as they are part of the bears' diet.
3. Bears are consumers. They cannot produce their own food through photosynthesis like plants (producers). Instead, they obtain energy by consuming other organisms.
4. Bears are not decomposers. Decomposers break down dead organic matter. Bears hunt and eat living organisms or scavenge on recently dead ones, but they do not break down organic matter into simpler substances in the way decomposers (like fungi and bacteria) do.

Answer:

1. Hypothesis: Bears get energy and nutrients from plants, fish, and small - to medium - sized animals.
2. Prediction: Populations of fish, small mammals, and some birds would be hurt.
3. Classification: Bears are consumers. Reason: They cannot produce their own food and consume other organisms for energy.
4. Conclusion: Bears are not decomposers. Reason: They do not break down organic matter into simpler substances like decomposers do; they hunt or scavenge.