Question

question 7 of 25
a student made a model of an ecosystem in an aquarium.
the student used potting soil to represent land, water to
represent a pond, and a lamp to represent the sun.
one limitation of the model is that it does not represent
how living things interact with the nonliving parts of an
ecosystem. which way of refining the model would best
address this limitation?
a. putting a timer on the lamp so that it turns off at night
b. adding a water pump that can circulate the water
c. adding a fan that can circulate the air
d. placing some aquatic plants in the water

Explanation:

To address the limitation of not representing interactions between living and non - living parts, we need to introduce living things (biotic factors) and show their interaction with non - living (abiotic) parts. Option A (timer on lamp) only affects the non - living light factor's timing. Option B (water pump) and C (fan) deal with non - living factor circulation. Option D: Aquatic plants are living (biotic), and when placed in water (non - living), they will interact with water (e.g., take in nutrients, release oxygen) and also interact with the lamp (use light for photosynthesis), thus showing the interaction between biotic and abiotic components.

Answer:

D. Placing some aquatic plants in the water