🐜 Part 1: Ants in Ecosystems

1. Which of the following are important roles that ants play in ecosystems?

Breaking down dead plants and animals

Spreading seeds to new locations

Serving as food for other animals

All of the above

2. Ants help with nutrient cycling by:

Eating only plants

Breaking down organic matter and returning nutrients to soil

Building large nests above ground

Sleeping all winter

3. In a food web, ants are considered:

Only predators

Only prey

Both predators and prey

Neither predators nor prey

4. Fill in the blank: Ants help plants grow by _____________ seeds and improving _____________ quality.

Answer: dispersing, soil

🌍 Part 2: What If Ants Disappeared?

5. If all ants suddenly disappeared from an ecosystem, what would likely happen to dead plant material on the forest floor?

6. Describe two ways that the disappearance of ants would affect other animals in the ecosystem.

7. How would plant populations be affected if ants were no longer available to disperse their seeds?

8. Complete this cause-and-effect chain:

No ants → Less decomposition → _____________ → _____________ → Plants struggle to grow

9. Draw a simple food web showing ants and at least 4 other organisms. Use arrows to show energy flow.

10. In 3-4 sentences, explain why ants are considered a "keystone species" in many ecosystems. Use evidence from what you've learned.