Ecosystems #2 (Vocab Review)

The American Bison was once common in the prairie, but now wild bison are rare. Like cows, bison eat grass. What kind of organism is a bison?

• producer

• primary consumer

• tertiary consumer

• autotroph

Owls eat voles (a relative of mice); voles eat grass and seeds. Which food chain is correct?

• Grass → Vole → Owl

• Grass → Owl → Vole

• Vole → Owl → Grass

• Vole → Grass → Owl

Frogs eat flies, snakes eat frogs, and hawks eat snakes. What would happen to the frogs if the hawk population suddenly decreased?

• The frog population would increase.

• The frog population would decrease.

• The frog population would stay the same.

• The frog population would increase at first, then decrease as hawk populations recovered.

What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

• Food webs only show one producer and multiple consumers, but food chains show all of the organisms in an ecosystem. 

• Food webs begin with a producer and are a linear progression of energy flow, whereas food chains are a network of producers and consumers with a singular path of energy flow.

• Food chains begin with a producer and are a linear progression of energy flow, whereas food webs are a network of producers and consumers with multiple directions of energy flow. 

• None of the above.

Which of the following effects will occur to the food web shown below if the sea otter disappears? (click the picture to see it bigger!)

• Sea stars decrease and sharks increase.

• Sea urchins increase and kelps decrease.

• Large fish increase and sea urchins decrease.

• Abalones increase and sharks increase.