Life science STAAR 2016

A partial food web of a pond ecosystem is shown below.

Which type of organism is missing from this food web?

• Decomposers

• Producers

• Predators

• Consumers

A student observing birds in a park records some ways that birds interact with living and nonliving parts of their environment. All the following observations are ways that a bird interacts with nonliving parts of its environment except —

• reacting to morning sunlight by singing

• drinking and taking a bath in a puddle of water

• responding to cold temperatures by fluffing its feathers

• feeding insects to its chicks

The shells of sea turtles are flatter than the shells of land turtles.

Sea turtles are also different from land turtles because sea turtles cannot pull their head or limbs into their shell to protect themselves from predators. Instead, the head, shell shape, and flippers of sea turtles help them escape from predators mainly by allowing them to —

• dig deep holes for their eggs

• swim and dive easily

• blend into their surroundings

• hold their breath for several minutes

For a science assignment a student was asked to observe some organisms and then make a table to classify the organisms’ traits as inherited or learned. The student’s table is shown below.

How many of these observations describe learned behaviors and how many describe inherited traits?

• 1 learned behavior, 7 inherited traits

• 2 learned behaviors, 6 inherited traits

• 3 learned behaviors, 5 inherited traits

• 4 learned behaviors, 4 inherited traits

Tropical climates have warm temperatures and abundant sunlight all year. What must be available for plants in these climates to make their own food throughout the year?

• Bacteria

• Birds

• Shade

• Water

Some students are investigating the life cycle of the spotted salamander. They learn that these salamanders must live close to water and lay their eggs in water. After 20–60 days the eggs hatch as larvae that must stay in the water until they mature into adult salamanders. The students infer that the life cycle of the spotted salamander is similar to the life cycle of the frog because both animals —

• have long tails and strong jumping legs as adults

• live near water and produce larvae with wings

• lay eggs in water, which hatch into larvae that live in water

• produce offspring that hatch from eggs and look like adults

Many types of grazing animals live in Africa. The pictures show two of these animals that have about the same mass and height at the shoulder.

Based on observations of the pictures of these animals, which statement describes an advantage that only one of these animals has in obtaining food?

• The Thomson’s gazelle has a body shape that allows it to run faster when chasing prey.

• The Thomson’s gazelle has horns that can be used to move tree branches out of the way to reach food.

• The gerenuk has a sharp, pointed nose for detecting the scent of predators

• The gerenuk has a long neck that allows it to reach high to eat from trees.

A farmer is reading a nature guide to learn how to make changes to a pond so that it will attract and support wildlife. The guide gives the suggestions listed below.

Which suggestion involves interactions between two groups of living organisms?

• Suggestion 1

• Suggestion 2

• Suggestion 3

• Suggestion 4

Some traits of living organisms are inherited, while some behaviors must be learned. Which statement related to inherited traits or learned behaviors is not correct?

• The ability of a figure skater to spin on ice is related to both inherited traits and learned behaviors.

• The ability of lions to use camouflage to hide in grassy fields is an inherited trait only.

• The number and type of legs a cricket has is an inherited trait only.

• The behavior of a dog guiding a blind person on a walk through a neighborhood is an inherited trait only.

The diagrams below represent the life cycles of four different insects. Which of these insects goes through a complete metamorphosis?

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