Aquatic Ecosystem and Succession Review

Which of the following best illustrates the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors?

• The pH of the soil affects plant growth

• Competition between two species of birds.

• The amount of sunlight determines the type of soil present.

• Insects consume dead animals.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

In a forest ecosystem, deer rely on plants for food, while temperature and water availability influence plant growth. Which of the following is an example of a biotic factor affecting the deer population?

• Temperature

• Water availability

• Predators

• Soil composition

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the following adaptations is most useful for an organism living in the aphotic zone of the ocean?

•  Bright coloration

•  Ability to photosynthesize

•  Bioluminescence

• Tolerance to high temperatures

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which factor primarily determines the boundaries between the photic and aphotic zones in an aquatic system?

•  Nutrient levels

• Salinity

• Temperature

• Water depth

Why is light penetration a crucial factor in aquatic ecosystems?

• It influences the water temperature.

•  It affects the oxygen levels in the water.

• It determines the depth at which photosynthesis can occur.

•  It alters the salinity of the water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

 Zoe is studying a mountainous region where a glacier is melting and retreating. She constructs the timeline shown below to show her prediction of how the region will change over time.

Why are the changes shown in the diagram classified as primary succession, and not secondary succession?

• The process results in the appearance of a climax community.

•  Many intermediate communities appear before the climax community.

• The climax community appears after hundreds of years

•  The process begins with pioneer species growing on bare rock.

Which of the following should be a characteristic of a stable ecosystem?

• A high number of predators and a lesser number of producers

• A lack of interdependence of organisms

• An increase in human interference

• An abundance of biodiversity

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

After a volcanic eruption on a previously uninhabited island, bare rock is left behind. Over time, small plants like lichens and mosses begin to grow, followed by grasses and shrubs.

Which process is occurring in this ecosystem?

•  Primary succession, where new life colonizes the bare rock.

• Erosion, where soil is lost due to the volcanic activity.

• Secondary succession, where plants regrow after a disturbance.

•  Biodiversity loss, where species are eliminated from the island.

After a hurricane destroys a coastal grassland, the ecosystem begins to recover over the next several years. Which of the following factors distinguishes secondary succession from primary succession in this scenario?

• Soil remains intact in the ecosystem.

• Only pioneer species are involved.

•  No organisms survive the disturbance.

•  The process of succession is slower due to lack of nutrients.

A biologist compares how different ecosystems undergo succession. She divides the series of events that happen during primary and secondary succession into three different stages. Which feature might be used to distinguish secondary succession from primary succession?

• the presence of soil and organic matter in the first stage

• the presence of trees and large plants in the final stage

• . the presence of pioneer species in the final stage

• the lack of pioneer species in the second stage