STAAR Review Life Science

Some beetles break down the remains of dead animals. Some mushrooms break down the remains of dead trees. How do these actions most benefit plants?

• By releasing oxygen to the air.

• By making space for new animals.

• By decreasing the population of herbivores.

• By returning nutrients to the soil.

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Some facts about birds called cattle egrets are listed above.

Which of these facts best describes how these birds depend on other animals to survive?

• Fact 1

• Fact 2

• Fact 3

• Fact 4

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A student observes the following activities while walking in a park.

Which of these living organisms was interacting with another living organism in the environment?

• Fire ant

• Blue jay

• Bee

• Hawk

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Which of these describes one or more living organisms that depend on nonliving components?

• Bacteria living in the mouth of a horse.

• Ivy plants growing up a fence to obtain more sunlight.

• An angelfish eating shrimp.

• A bird nesting in a tree.

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The food web above represents organisms in a field.

What role do raccoons play in this food web?

• Prey

• Producer

• Consumer

• Decomposer

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A food web for some organisms in an African rain forest is shown above.

Which organisms in this food web eat only consumers?

• Okapis

• Civets

• Leopards

• Gorillas

A partial forest food web is shown above.

In this food web energy is transferred directly between-

• Blue grouse and wolves

• Elk and sharp-shinned hawks

• Conifer seeds and red crossbills

• Conifer leaves and northern goshawks

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One stage in the life cycle of an apple tree is the release of seeds.

Which of these animal activities is most like the stage of the life cycle in which seeds are released?

• A snake shedding its skin

• A swarm of bees leaving a hive

• A tadpole growing into an adult

• A bird laying an egg

Data for four animal populations in a wooded area were collected before and after a shopping mall was constructed near the area. The graph above shows changes in the populations.

Which animal's food sources most likely increased after the mall opened?

• Squirrels only

• Snakes, squirrels and raccoons

• Raccoons only

• Snakes, squirrels and deer

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The nesting habits of four types of birds are described in the table above.

If all the dead branches and dying trees in a wooded area are removed, which birds nesting habit would be most affected?

• Baltimore oriole

• Barn swallow

• Downy woodpecker

• Belted kingfisher

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