Keystone Species Quiz

A keystone species is a species that:

• has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem compared to its abundance.

• is the most common species in an ecosystem.

• is always at the top of the food chain.

• can survive in any environment.

What did Robert Paine do with the purple starfish?

• He removed them from the ecosystem.

• He fed them to other animals.

• He tagged them for research.

• He relocated them to a different ocean.

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Professor Fred Smith was thinking about which concept when he asked: “Why is that tree green?”

• The reason for the color of leaves

• The height of the tree

• The age of the tree

• The type of soil

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The world is truly green because:

• plants contain chlorophyll, which reflects green light

• the sky is blue, making the world appear green

• most animals are green in color

• the oceans are green

Robert Paine discovered that which animal is at the top of the food chain?

• Sea star

• Shark

• Octopus

• Seal

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On the rock shoreline, biodiversity was affected by the removal of starfish in which of the following ways?

• Biodiversity decreased significantly.

• Biodiversity increased significantly.

• Biodiversity remained unchanged.

• Biodiversity fluctuated randomly.

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The term Paine coined to describe a species that could regulate the composition of an entire community is known as:

• Keystone species

• Indicator species

• Foundation species

• Pioneer species

Paine suspected that which organisms were reducing the population of kelp?

• Sea urchins

• Seagulls

• Crabs

• Starfish

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What human activity caused sea otters to be on the brink of extinction?

• Hunting for their fur

• Pollution from oil spills

• Overfishing of their prey

• Destruction of kelp forests

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Removing sea otters from the ecosystem results in:

• an increase in sea urchin populations

• a decrease in kelp forests

• an increase in fish populations

• no significant change in the ecosystem

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