Unit 8 Ecology

Select the abiotic factors

• temperature

• water

• plants

• animals

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Select the biotic factors

• available energy

• climate

• plants

• animals

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The greatest amount of diversity can be found among which type of organism?

• bacteria

• plants

• animals

• fungi

A flowering plant, called mistletoe, attaches itself to the vascular system of a tree and removes nutrients and water from the tree. The tree can become weak due to the presence of this plant. Mistletoe can produce some food of its own through photosynthesis and serves as food for some birds and other animals. What word best describes the relationship between mistletoe and the tree it inhabits?

• parasitic

• heterotrophic

• commensalistic

• mutualistic

Which statement provides the best description of a food web?

• Food webs show how all the consumers compete for food resources in an ecosystem.

• Food webs show how many producers, consumers, and decomposers there are in an ecosystem.

• Food webs list all of the animals and plants in an ecosystem.

• Food webs show the transfer of energy among producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

What is one major difference between food webs and food chains?

• Food webs trace the source of energy all the way back to the Sun.

• Food webs cross into more than one environment.

• Food webs contain multiple consumers using a single energy source.

• Food webs show multiple connections among organisms.

Scientists have observed a trend in populations of the snowshoe hare in Canada. About every 8 years, the number of hares falls sharply. One year later, the number of lynx in the same areas falls also. The lynx is the main predator of the snowshoe hare. Scientist discovered that the hares rely on a willow plant for food during the winter. When the population of the snowshoe hare gets bigger, they eat more of the leaves on the willows. Scientists also found out that the willow plants release a poison when they get eaten back too far. Which statement best describes what limits the size of the snowshoe hare population?

• Other herbivores are the limiting factor because they compete for available food.

• Space is the limiting factor because the hares have less space as their numbers increase and they cannot meet their needs.

• Food is the limiting factor because the size of the snowshoe hare population depends mainly on the availability of willow plants in winter.

• Predation is the limiting factor because the number of lynx causes the size of the snowshoe hare population to drop.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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In 2005, there were 2,000 deer living on a remote island. The island is roughly 600 square kilometers in size. The island managers decided to introduce wolves as a natural predator. In 2006, 10 wolves were flown onto the island. The table below shows the changes in both the deer and wolf populations for the years 2006 to 2015. Which limiting factor has the greatest effect on the wolf population on the island?

• water

• disease

• food

• shelter

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Which of the following describes an organism that is a producer?

• an organism that gets its energy from eating other animals and plants

• the first organism that uses energy made by other organisms

• the first organism that uses energy from the sun to make food

• an organism that obtains its energy from the breakdown of dead organisms

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The image shows a food web in an ecosystem, with arrows pointing toward the consumer. A new organism (not shown in the picture) moves into the ecosystem. Its major food source is the grasshopper. Which animals in the food web will form a competitive relationship with the new organism?

• owl and bird

• mouse and owl

• owl

• fox and bird

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