Biodiversity

Which one of the following animals is most likely to be a keystone species, based on the food web provided?

• Grasshopper

• frog

• deer

• mouse

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Based on the data below, which group of animals are genetically diverse?

• birds

• bears

• horses

• whales

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

The Northern Pacific seastar is a particularly successful invasive species. Which of the following explains why it is so successful in the waters of southeastern Australia, outside of its native environment?

• It breeds rapidly and has no predators in this environment.

• It consumes the eggs of the spotted handfish.

• It can cling to the bottom of ships and other vessels.

• It is accustomed to a cold climate.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Aside from killing native species, what other negative issue might an invasive species present?

• They might introduce other organisms, like viruses and bacteria.

• They might increase the diversity of native species. 

• They might provide economic benefit.

• They might avoid interacting with other organisms.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

What happens after coral is bleached?

• The coral is susceptible to starvation.

• The coral releases algae into the ocean.

• The coral dies immediately.

• The coral produces peroxides.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

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The most biodiverse ecosystem in the world is likely a

• coral reef

• taiga.

• desert

• forest

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NGSS.MS-LS2-5

The Florissant Fossil Beds in Colorado are home to several massive redwood stumps that were subjected to a special kind of fossilization millions of years ago. What service could these fossilized stumps most likely provide?

• tourism

• soil creation

• lumber

• shelter

Marine biologist Dr. James Estes researched sea otters and their habitats in the Aleutian Islands of the North Pacific Ocean. Sea otters feed on animals such as crabs and urchins. Islands with sea otters contained a lot of kelp, a seaweed that is an important food source for fish and other sea animals. However, Islands without otters had large populations of urchins but no kelp since sea urchins feed on this seaweed. Since sea otters are able to control the population of urchins, this allows for kelp to freely grow in those areas. Given this information, what term best describes the otter in the Aleutian Islands ecosystem?

• keystone species

• apex predator

• decomposer

• producer

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Your friend John is having trouble with his compost bin. The material in his compost pile doesn’t seem to be decomposing well. You take a sample of the pile and check for the presence of microorganisms under the microscope. You see that there are indeed microorganisms; however, they don’t appear to be growing very fast. John says that he regularly mixes his compost pile to expose it to oxygen but has noticed the pile feels cold. What is the most likely explanation for this problem?

• The compost pile contained incorrect amounts of "greens" and "browns".

• The compost pile contained aerobic bacteria.

• The compost pile was sufficiently moist.

• The compost pile was placed in the sunshine.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

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“Green” material has high amounts of 

• nitrogen

• magnesium

• carbon

• phosphorus

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