Ecosystem Energy/Matter Flow

Producers use energy from the Sun for food, while consumers eat plants and other animals for energy. Look at the food chain below. Which of the following organisms would receive the least amount of energy from the producer?

• grasshopper

• mongoose

• mouse

• snake

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

In any ecosystem, organisms interact with biotic and abiotic parts of the environment. As a result of all of the interactions, the matter within the system is

• produced when plants grow.

• recycled when organisms die.

• lost when animals and plants die.

• formed when new animals are born.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Within a cave environment, bat waste products, called guano, are decomposed by organisms such as fungi and bacteria. These are then eaten by creatures such as flatworms. Larger animals like salamanders eat flatworms. Which correctly represents the energy flow described?

• Fungi → Bacteria → Salamanders → Guano

• Bats → Guano → Flatworms → Salamanders

• Salamanders → Fungi → Bacteria → Flatworms

• Guano → Bacteria → Flatworms → Salamanders

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A diagram of a partial food web is shown below. Which is a food chain that makes up part of this food web?

• shrub → mouse → snake → hawk

• grass → grasshopper → lizard → fox

• shrub → robin → lizard → hawk

• grass → rabbit → snake → hawk

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Students kept some crickets in a classroom tank. The tank was kept in an area where it would get several hours of sunlight a day. The tank contained one area with water, and another area with soil where plants were growing. From which source did the crickets gain the energy they needed for cell processes?

• the soil

• the water

• the plants

• the sunlight

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The organisms shown live in the same habitat. Which best describes the exchange of energy between the organisms?

• Each organism obtains energy from the environment.

• Each organism obtains energy by eating other organisms.

• One organism obtains energy from the environment, while the others obtain energy by eating other organisms.

• One organism obtains energy by eating other organisms, while the others obtain energy from the environment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Some ecosystems flourish in total darkness. The table below describes four of them. Which of these dark ecosystems use energy originally obtained from the Sun?

• whale fall, black smoker, deep cave

• black smoker, deep cave, cold seep

• whale fall, cold seep, deep cave

• black smoker, whale fall, cold seep

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The diagram shows components of a natural wetland habitat. Which process is best demonstrated by this diagram?

• abiotic interactions

• nitrogen fixation

• energy flow

• life cycles

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

How does a volcanic eruption interfere with the ability of producers to obtain the energy they need to produce food?

• by using up heat energy stored in Earth’s core

• by releasing excess energy from Earth’s interior

• by using up large volumes of nearby atmospheric oxygen

• by releasing dust that blocks sunlight from reaching Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Four students were asked for the primary source of energy for most living organisms. The students’ answers are shown in the chart. Which student provided the correct answer?

• Student 1

• Student 2

• Student 3

• Student 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3