Organisms and Their Environment

Carla stated that plants need air, water, minerals, and light for growth. She wondered what would happen if plants didn't have any minerals in their habitat. Choose the BEST investigation to answer Carla's question.

• Conduct an investigation using two plants of the same kind and place one plant in soil (with minerals) and the other in sand (without minerals).
• Conduct an investigation using two different plants and see which plant grows best in sand.
• Conduct an investigation using two plants of the same kind and measure the growth of the plants using fertilizer.
• Conduct an investigation using a variety of plants and collect data on their growth in a variety of soil types.

Plants and animals need food for a source of energy for growth and survival. Choose the BEST answer that explains how plants get their food.

• Plants get their food from the soil and water.
• Plants use the energy from the sun, air, and water to make their own food.
• Plants get their food from minerals in fertilizer.
• Plants get their food from decaying plants and animals.

Michigan's white-tailed deer makes its home in the forests of the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula. It eats leaves, moss and a variety of plants that grow in the woods. What would happen if lumber companies cut all the forest down and developers built cities? Choose the BEST answer.

• The deer population would continue to increase.
• The deer population would decrease.
• All the deer would adapt to living in the city.
• The deer would be moved to zoos.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Which of the following relationships is harmful?

• A flea on a dog.
• A fish cleaning worms from a shark.
• Two buzzards eating a dead animal.
• A ladybug eating aphids (insects) on a plant.

Serena and Marie had fun spending the month of July at their grandfather's farm in Michigan. A family of red-tailed hawks lived in the nearby forest. Serena and Marie watched the hawks circle in the sky and then swoop down and catch mice and fly off to the forest with their food in their talons. Grandfather said he was very happy the family of hawks lived close to his barn and fields. What do you think is the BEST reason that their grandfather is happy to see the hawks?

• The hawks are good entertainment for Serena and Marie while they are visiting the farm.
• The hawks help keep the mice and squirrel population in balance.
• Grandfather is a bird watcher.
• The hawks help the grandfather's crops to grow.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

The red-tailed hawk and mice are part of the ecosystem in the forest near grandfather's farm. Which of the following describes the relationship between the hawk and a mouse?

• friendly
• competitive 
• predator and prey
• beneficial

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

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Which of the following provides organisms in the ecosystem with all their basic requirements to survive?

• soil
• air
• their habitat
• producers

Which organisms in the prairie ecosystem are producers?

• prairie dogs, rabbits, and mice
• hawks, owls, and snakes
• grass and bushes
• All of the organisms are producers.