Biological Relationships

According to the graph, what is causing the deer population to decrease

• They got sick

• The wolf population is decreasing

• The wolf population increased

• They ran out of food

Answer explanation

The graph indicates that the increase in the wolf population leads to more predation on deer, causing their population to decrease. Therefore, the correct answer is that the wolf population increased.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Cleaner wrasse live in “cleaning stations” in a reef. They remove and eat parasites, dead tissue and mucous from reef fish, which helps reef fish stay healthy.

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

• Predation

• Parasitism

Answer explanation

Cleaner wrasse and reef fish engage in mutualism, where both benefit: wrasse get food by eating parasites, while reef fish stay healthy. This relationship is not predation or parasitism, as both parties gain from the interaction.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

The cattle egret, a short bird found foraging in cattle herds, eats insects that have been disturbed when the cattle forage. It doesn’t affect the cattle, but the cattle egret depends on this food source.

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Answer explanation

The relationship between the cattle egret and cattle is an example of commensalism, where the egret benefits by eating insects disturbed by the cattle, while the cattle are neither helped nor harmed.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

What is likely to happen to the prey population if the predator population decreases?

• The prey population will increase.

• The prey population will decrease.

• The prey population will remain the same.

• The prey population will migrate.

Answer explanation

If the predator population decreases, there will be fewer predators hunting the prey. This reduction in predation pressure allows the prey population to grow, leading to an increase in their numbers.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on community structure relative to their abundance.

• Pioneer Species

• Invasive Species

• Keystone Species

• Foundation Species

What type of symbiosis?  Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers.  The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower.

• commensalism

• mutualism

• parasitism

• predation

Answer explanation

The relationship between hummingbirds and flowers is mutualism because both benefit: hummingbirds get nectar for food, while flowers are pollinated, aiding their reproduction.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-4

Which Relationship: A bluebird lives in a maple tree. It builds a nest in the tree to keep it's eggs safe.

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Answer explanation

The relationship is commensalism because the bluebird benefits by nesting in the maple tree for safety, while the tree is not significantly harmed or benefited by the presence of the bird.

Which Relationship: As a colony of braconid wasps undergo metamorphosis, they live on a hornworm and digest its insides, causing the worm to die.

• Predation

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Commensalism

Answer explanation

The relationship is parasitism because the braconid wasps live on the hornworm, digesting its insides and ultimately causing its death, which benefits the wasps at the expense of the host.

Which relationship causes one species to become the resource (biotic factor) for another species?

• Symbiosis

• Competition

• Predation

Answer explanation

Predation is the relationship where one species (predator) hunts and consumes another species (prey), making the prey a resource for the predator. This distinguishes it from symbiosis and competition.

What is the organism that is harmed in a parasitic relationship?

• parasite

• host

• consumer

• producer

Answer explanation

In a parasitic relationship, the organism that is harmed is called the host. The parasite benefits at the expense of the host, which suffers negative effects from the interaction.