Solution: Identifying Correct Ecological Statements

This section evaluates each statement to identify the correct ecological principles related to plants, soil, and food webs.

Statement Analysis

• A. Tree grows in soil: Correct. Trees are fundamentally dependent on soil for anchorage, water, and nutrients.
• B. Green leaves fall on the ground: Correct. Leaves, often green before senescence, naturally detach and fall from trees.
• C. Nutrients reach into soil by physical action: Incorrect. While physical weathering occurs, essential nutrient enrichment primarily results from the decomposition of organic matter by biological agents.
• D. Decomposers gain form and become litter: Incorrect. Decomposers (like bacteria and fungi) break down litter (fallen organic material). They do not gain form from it or become litter themselves.
• E. Fallen leaves eaten by insects and energy enters food web: Correct. Insects consuming fallen leaves represent the initial stage of energy transfer from dead organic matter into the detritivore pathway of the food web.

Conclusion

Statements A, B, and E accurately describe ecological processes.

Therefore, the combination representing the correct statements is A, B, E only.