Unit 7

Which statement below best describes how biodiversity contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem?

• A variety of plant and animal species allows for more survivors of a natural disaster.

• Having more species in an ecosystem allows the human population to increase in size.

• Low biodiversity reduces the competition for resources, which helps native species survive.

• Fewer species in the ecosystem reduces the likelihood that disease spreads through the ecosystem.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

Students were asked to make a claim supported with evidence to answer the question, “Which ecosystem would be most sustainable if all the grasses died from severe drought?” What claim is valid and supported by the evidence?

• The forest ecosystem is most sustainable because there are more top predators.

• The grassland ecosystem is most sustainable because there are fewer organisms that eat grass.

• The forest ecosystem is most sustainable because most of the animals can eat other organisms.

• The grassland ecosystem is most sustainable because there is less competition for food.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which event would most likely cause an ecosystem to have the lowest biodiversity and population sizes 3 years later?

• Clearing land for a highway

• A river floods a cornfield

• A forest fire destroys the plant growth

• A lava flow creates a new section of land

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

When forest fires destroyed many of the pine trees in Bastrop State Park, the burned areas began secondary succession. What is the role of succession in this example?

• Creating new soil by chemical and physical weathering of rocks

• Restoring the ecosystem through grass, shrub, and tree stages

• Changing the landscape to be more fire resistant in the future

• Opening the land for new uses like farming and raising livestock

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Students observe ecological succession of a field that has been left bare. Which of the following are the students likely to observe first?

• Growth of shrubs and trees

• Formation of topsoil

• A mature grassland community

• Growth of grasses and weeds

Which of the following sequences most likely represents ecological succession on a recently abandoned wheat field?

• grasses-flowering plants-shrubs-native trees

• native trees-shrubs-flowering plants-grasses

• shrubs-grasses-native trees- flowering plants

• flowering plants - native trees-shrubs-grasses

The more diverse an ecosystem is —

• the more threatened its populations are

• the more similar the species will be

• the more sustainable it is

• the fewer varieties of species are present

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

Which of the following situations contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem?

• Increase in biodiversity

• decrease in biodiversity

• Extinction of a population from the ecosystem

• Removal of many populations of organisms

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

Refer to the food webs above. If the grasses in each ecosystem are attacked or killed by a disease, which ecosystem will most likely survive?

• The prairie ecosystem, because fewer organisms eat grass

• The tundra ecosystem, because there is a variety of producers

• The prairie ecosystem, because there are fewer top predators

• The tundra ecosystem, because it has more herbivores

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

What is the primary function of the mitochondria in a cell?

• A) Photosynthesis

• B) Cellular respiration

• C) Protein synthesis

• D) DNA replication

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-2