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How Does Air Pollution Affect Organisms? A Reading Passage on Ecosystems — Reading Comprehension

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This audio-integrated passage, "How Does Air Pollution Affect Organisms?", is designed for middle school students and aligns with the NGSS standard MS-LS2-4. It explains how changes to the physical and biological components of an ecosystem affect organism populations. The passage introduces and defines key concepts like air pollution and acid rain, providing clear examples of how these environmental changes impact plants and animals. Students will learn about the interconnectedness of living things within an ecosystem and how pollutants can disrupt this balance. The content is crafted to be accessible and engaging, encouraging students to consider the real-world effects of air pollution on the environment. The text supports critical thinking and helps students construct arguments based on empirical evidence as required by the standard.

CONTENT PREVIEW

Air pollution is the release of harmful substances into the air. These pollutants come from many places, like cars, factories, and burning fossil fuels. When these substances get into the air, they can cause big problems for living things. These problems can be a change to a physical or biological component of an ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that interact with each other.

One of the most common air pollutants is ozone, which can damage the lungs of humans and other animals, making it hard to breathe. Air pollution can also hurt plants. For example, it can damage leaves and make it difficult for plants to grow. This affects the entire ecosystem, as plants are the base of many food chains.

Another type of air pollution is acid rain. Acid rain forms when pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides mix with water in the atmosphere. When it falls, acid rain can harm forests and lakes. It makes the soil and water too acidic for many plants and aquatic animals to survive. This can lead to a decrease in the number of organisms in an area.

Changes to an ecosystem's physical parts, like the air and water, can have a big effect on the biological parts, like the plants and animals that live there. For example, if air pollution kills off a certain type of plant, animals that eat that plant will have less food and their population will decrease. This is a clear example of how a change to one part of an ecosystem can affect the entire system.

Fun Fact: Air pollution can even affect the weather and climate, contributing to global warming.

What is the main cause of acid rain?

OzoneSulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxidesDamaged leavesCars and factories

What can air pollution do to plants?

Make them grow fasterMake them healthierDamage their leavesTurn them green

How does a decrease in a plant population due to air pollution affect animals?

Animals will find more foodThe animal population will increaseAnimals that eat the plant will have less foodThe animals will not be affected

What is the definition of an ecosystem?

A community of living thingsOnly non-living thingsA community of living and non-living thingsA community of harmful substances

How does acid rain harm a lake?

It makes the water too warmIt makes the water too acidicIt adds nutrients to the waterIt makes the water cloudy

A factory releases a new pollutant that kills off all the grass in an area. What would likely happen to the population of rabbits that eat the grass?

The rabbit population would increaseThe rabbit population would decreaseThe rabbit population would not be affectedThe rabbits would switch to a new food source

A city passes a law requiring factories to reduce their air pollution. What is a likely long-term effect of this law on the local ecosystem?

The population of animals would decreaseThe ecosystem's health would improveThe air would become more acidicThe number of plants would decrease

A scientist discovers a new type of moss that is highly sensitive to air pollution. What could this moss be used for?

To clean up oil spillsTo act as a biological indicator of air qualityTo create new medicinesTo filter water