Streams
What are Streams?
A stream is a body of water that flows in a channel. It is smaller than a river and can vary in size from a small trickle to a larger, swiftly flowing waterway.
Formation of Streams
Streams are typically formed from the flow of water downhill, often as a result of precipitation such as rain or melting snow. The water accumulates and forms small channels that eventually develop into streams.
Characteristics of Streams
- Flow: Streams can have varying flow rates, from slow-moving to fast-flowing depending on factors such as slope and volume of water.
- Channels: Streams flow within channels, which can be narrow or wide, and can change over time due to erosion.
- Bank: The sides of the stream are called banks, and they can also be eroded over time.
- Meanders: Some streams develop curves or bends known as meanders as they flow.
- Deposition: Streams can also deposit sediment and form features such as sandbars and deltas.
Importance of Streams
Streams are vital to ecosystems as they provide water for plants and animals. They also play a role in erosion, transportation of sediment, and shaping the landscape.
Study Guide
- What is a stream?
- How are streams formed?
- What are some characteristics of streams?
- Why are streams important to ecosystems?
◂Science Worksheets and Study Guides Seventh Grade. Ecosystems, food chains and food webs
Study Guide
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs 
Activity Lesson
Ecosystems, Food Chains & Food Webs Worksheet/Answer key
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs Worksheet/Answer key
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs Worksheet/Answer key
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs Vocabulary/Answer key
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs Vocabulary/Answer key
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs Vocabulary/Answer key
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs Vocabulary/Answer key
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs Vocabulary/Answer key
Ecosystems, food chains and food webs
Activity LessonWorksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyVocabulary/Answer keyVocabulary/Answer keyVocabulary/Answer keyVocabulary/Answer keyVocabulary/Answer keyThe resources above cover the following skills:
LIFE SCIENCE
Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
Examine the cycling of matter between abiotic and biotic parts of ecosystems to explain the flow of energy and the conservation of matter.
Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence regarding how resource availability impacts individual organisms as well as populations of organisms within an ecosystem.
Construct an explanation to predict patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships between and among organisms (e.g., competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism).
Engage in argument to defend the effectiveness of a design solution that maintains biodiversity and ecosystem services (e.g., using scientific, economic, and social considerations regarding purifying water, recycling nutrients, preventing soil erosion).