6th Gr Final Unit 3

Describe what is happening to the fox population between lines A and B. Why is this happening?

• The fox population decreases at A because they have more food available since the rabbit population has been increasing.

• The fox population increases at A because they have more food available since the rabbit population has been increasing.

• The fox population increases at A because they have less food available since the rabbit population has been decreasing.

• The fox population decreases at A because they have less food available since the rabbit population has been increasing.

Tags

(MS-LS1-2)

Describe what is happening to the rabbit population between lines A and B. Why is that happening? Choose 2 that apply.

• The rabbit population decreases at B because the grass is low, meaning there is less food for rabbits (and increased competition). 

• The rabbit population decreases at B because the fox population is decreasing, meaning there are more predators for the rabbits.

• The rabbit population decreases at B because the fox population is increasing, meaning there are more predators for the rabbits. 

• The rabbit population increases at B because the fox population is increasing, meaning there are more predators for the rabbits.

Tags

(MS-LS1-2)

Describe what is happening to each of the populations between lines B and C.

• The grass population increases when the rabbit population is high. This occurs because the rabbit population is eating the grass.

• The grass population decreases when the rabbit population is low. This occurs because the rabbit population is eating the grass.

• The grass population decreases when the rabbit population is high. This occurs because the rabbit population is eating the grass.

• The rabbit population causes the grass population to increase at first but after a while, the rabbit population kills the grass or eats it all.

Tags

(MS-LS1-2)

Pick one pattern you saw in the model and describe in general what you saw. Choose 2 that apply.

• Populations can affect other populations in predator/prey relationships.

• Populations can affect other populations in competitive relationships. 

• Populations don’t affect other populations much.

• Populations often interact with one another however, it does not change the overall population numbers.

Tags

(MS-LS1-2)

Provide the evidence and reasoning to support the claim that the invasive species eats the grass. Choose 3 that apply.

Claim: The invasive species eats the grass.

Evidence and Reasoning:

• The evidence is that when the invader enters the ecosystem, the grass and rabbits decrease.

• The evidence is that when the invader enters the ecosystem, the grass and rabbits increase.

• The evidence is that the invader survived without foxes or rabbits.

• The rabbits competed with the invader for grass, which caused the rabbit population to increase. This meant the foxes decreased because they had less food (rabbits). 

• The rabbits competed with the invader for grass, which caused the rabbit population to decrease. This meant the foxes decreased because they had less food (rabbits).

Tags

(MS-LS1-2)

(MS-LS2-4)

What conclusions can you draw as you analyze the data in this graph? Choose 2 that apply. 

• The human population has been declining since 1800.

• The parrot population stayed the same for about 300 years.

• The parrot population is increasing while the human population is decreasing.

• The human population is increasing while the parrot population is decreasing.

Tags

(MS-LS2-1)

An invading fungus develops in the forest and kills many of the green plants. Which of the following populations will be directly or indirectly affected by the invader?

• owl population

• beetle, grasshopper, and snail populations

• shrew, spider, and wood mouse populations

• all of the above

Tags

(MS-LS1-2)

An invading fungus develops in the forest and kills many of the green plants. Which of the following populations will be directly or indirectly affected by the invader?

• If the fungus kills the green plants then the things such as beetles, grasshoppers and snails that eat green plants will be directly affected by the invader. If those populations decrease, then the animals that feed on them like shrews, spiders and wood mice will be indirectly affected. And if those populations decrease, then the animals such as owls that feed on them will be directly affected.

• If the fungus kills the green plants then the things such as beetles, grasshoppers and snails that eat green plants will be directly affected by the invader. The other populations would not be affected.

• If the fungus kills the green plants then the things such as beetles, grasshoppers and snails that eat green plants will be directly affected by the invader. If those populations decrease, then the animals that feed on them like shrews, spiders and wood mice will be indirectly affected. Any other populations would not be affected.

• If the fungus kills the green plants then the things such as beetles, grasshoppers and snails that eat green plants will be indirectly affected by the invader. The other populations would not be affected.

Tags

(MS-LS1-2)

 Imagine that a new population of animals enters an ecosystem where another population of animals already lives. Describe two ways that interactions between the animals can cause a change in the size of each population.

• The sizes of the populations could change if the new population’s reproduction rate decreased.

• The sizes of the populations might change if the animals from one population prey on the other population. This could make the prey population decrease and the predator population increase.

• If there is a competition for resources, such as food and shelter, the population which gets more food or better shelter could increase while the other population could decrease.

• The sizes of the populations would not change if the new population’s reproduction rate decreased.

Tags

(MS-LS1-2)

Polar bears live in the world’s far northern regions. Polar bears feed on seals. As seals pop up through holes in floating ice, polar bears pounce on them. The average temperature in these regions is slowly rising.  Use these data to construct an argument in which you predict what is likely to happen to the seal and polar bear populations over time.

• Since polar bears feed on seals by pouncing on the seals when they pop up through holes in floating ice and the average temperature in the far north is slowly rising, the amount of floating ice where the polar bears hunt may increase. So, polar bears will not be able to hunt seals in as large numbers as before. With a decrease in their ability to hunt seals, the polar bear population should increase, and the seal population should increase.

• Since polar bears feed on seals by pouncing on the seals when they pop up through holes in floating ice and the average temperature in the far north is slowly rising, the amount of floating ice where the polar bears hunt may decrease. So, polar bears will not be able to hunt seals in as large numbers as before. With an increase in their ability to hunt seals, the polar bear population should decrease, and the seal population should decrease.

• Since polar bears feed on seals by pouncing on the seals when they pop up through holes in floating ice and the average temperature in the far north is slowly rising, the amount of floating ice where the polar bears hunt may decrease. So, polar bears will not be able to hunt seals in as large numbers as before. With a decrease in their ability to hunt seals, the polar bear population should decrease, and the seal population should increase.

• Since polar bears feed on seals by pouncing on the seals when they pop up through holes in floating ice and the average temperature in the far north is slowly rising, the amount of floating ice where the polar bears hunt may decrease. So, polar bears will not be able to hunt seals in as large numbers as before. With a decrease in their ability to hunt seals, the polar bear population should increase, and the seal population should decrease.

Tags

(MS-LS2-4)