Interdependence and Ecology

What is the primary consumer in this food chain?

• Grasses
• Cricket
• Bird
• Snake

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Which of the following statements is the best explanation of the role of a primary consumer within a food web?

• a primary consumer is at the top of the food chain and usually eats only other animals
• a primary consumer decomposes the remains of dead organisms
• a primary consumer eats plants and producers 
• a primary consumer eats decomposers to place nutrients in the soil

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A healthy ecosystem must have producers, consumers, and decomposers. Most decomposers are either fungi or bacteria. Why are decomposers an essential part of a healthy ecosystem?

• Decomposers are a necessary part of the diet of most consumers
• Decomposers extract energy from sunlight through the process of photosynthesis and are eaten by predators
• Decomposers sustain ecosystems by filtering water for animals to drink 
• Decomposers breaking down the remains of organisms and return the energy to the soil for producers to use.

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A food web shows the relationships between the organisms in an ecosystem. If a drought occurs and kills off most of the producers, such as the plants, what is the most likely outcome?

• The populations of all levels of consumers would decrease.
• The primary consumers would have to adapt to eating each other.
• Only the population of the secondary and tertiary consumers would decline
• The primary consumers would die and the secondary consumers would eat them

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The diagram below shows the feeding relationships among organisms in a certain environment. Which organism would be a tertiary consumer?

• Owl
• Plant
• Snake
• Cricket 

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In the food web above, which animal would be considered both a predator and a prey? (do not include plant eating animals as predators). 

• The grasshopper
• The rabbit
• The snake
• The Plant

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Hummingbirds share a mutualistic relationship with the flowers they feed on. Which of these statements about mutualistic relationships is true?

• Both the flower and the hummingbird are helped
• Both the flower and the hummingbird are harmed
• The flower is harmed, and the hummingbird is helped
• The flower is helped, and the hummingbird is harmed

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The diagram below shows feeding relationships among some organisms in an ecosystem. Which answer best describes the relationship between hawks and coyotes?

• Coyotes are parasites of hawks    
• Coyotes are predators of hawks 
• Coyotes and hawks are both prey 
• Coyotes and hawks compete for the same food

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Hailey is explaining commensalism to her friend. Which statement correctly describes commensalism?

• "Two organisms have a relationship in which both organisms benefit."
• “Two organisms have a relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed."
• "Two organisms have a relationship in which they are both fighting for the same resources."
• "Two organisms have a relationship in which one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped."

Remoras are small fish that attach to sharks but do not harm nor help them. When sharks tear prey apart, remoras eat the leftovers. What relationship do remoras have with sharks?

• Mutualism
• Parasitism 
• Commensalism 
• Symbiosis