Organisms and Environments Checkpoint STAAR

A food web is shown below. How would the flow of energy in the food web most likely be disrupted if the population of grass suddenly became diseased or burned in a wildfire?

• The primary consumer populations would increase shortly after.

• The primary consumer populations would decrease shortly after.

• All of the populations in the food web would thrive.

• All of the populations would be unaffected.

Four statements regarding certain ecosystems are listed below.

I) Overfishing has depleted the population of tuna.

II) Snakes are commonly hunted and eaten by birds of prey.

III) Caterpillars and other insects feed on grasses.

IV) Excess fertilizer runs off into a river and causes extreme algae growth and a lack of oxygen in the water.

Which statement(s) describe a disruption in the transfer of energy?

• I and II

• II and III

• I, III, and IV

• I and IV

Several characteristics of ecological succession are listed on the chart below.

Primary and Secondary Ecological Succession

I. Formation and regrowth of an ecosystem after a disturbance

II. A new island forming after a volcanic eruption

III. An ecosystem formed where nothing previously existed

IV. Process takes a longer amount of time to occur

V. Process takes a shorter amount of time to occur

Which statements are accurate in describing secondary succession only? (PICK ALL THAT APPLY)

• I

• II

• III

• IV

• V

Fill in the blanks to correctly complete the statement below.

________ succession eventually leads to a growth in populations and species diversity after hundreds or thousands of years, whereas ________ succession briefly causes populations and species diversity to decrease, but eventually the ecosystem reforms and population and species diversity increases over time.

• Primary, secondary

• Secondary, primary

• Tertiary, quaternary

• Initial, final

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement about the biodiversity of an ecosystem?

• A. Biodiversity helps to provide a healthy ecosystem with a large variety of food sources for many organisms.

• B. Biodiversity allows ecosystems to adjust to significant natural disturbances such as droughts, floods, and wildfires.

• C. Climate fluctuations, pollution, and habitat loss all contribute to increased biodiversity.

• D. Ecological biodiversity includes diversity of habitats, communities, and ecosystems.

Which of the following ecosystems would have the greatest biodiversity?

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The table below lists some cell organelles of four different organisms.

Part A Based on the table, which organism is the most likely to be a plant?

• Organism 1

• Organism 2

• Organism 3

• Organism 4

Part B

What evidence supports the answer to Part A?

• The presence of a nucleus and ribosomes.

• The presence of a cell membrane and many vacuoles.

• The presence of a nucleus and cytoplasm.

• The presence of a cell wall, vacuole, and chloroplasts.

Which of the following statements correctly identifies the function of the mitochondria in an animal cell?

• Mitochondria control what is able to come in and out of the cell.

• Mitochondria are a rigid layer that provides support, strength, and shape for the cell.

• Mitochondria produce the energy needed for the cell to carry out its functions.

• Mitochondria hook amino acids together to make proteins.

Which of the following identifies only traits that are determined from the genes within chromosomes?

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