Ecology

The diagram represents a food web in an ecosystem.

Which relationship best identifies the relationships between the mice and the wheat?

• mice-producer, wheat-consumer

• mice-predator, wheat-host

• mice-host, wheat-predator

• mice-consumer, wheat-producer

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

The Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon

In the early 1800s, the passenger pigeon was the most abundant bird species in North America. These pigeons traveled in flocks sometimes larger than a billion birds. The enormous flock sizes helped protect them from predation by foxes, lynx, owls, and falcons. It also helped them outcompete other animals (squirrels, chipmunks) for chestnuts and acorns, their main food source.

Unfortunately, this flocking behavior made the passenger pigeons easy targets for the people who killed them for food. The invention of the telegraph to broadcast flock locations to hunters and the expansion of the railroads to ship the pigeons to new food markets had devastating results. By the 1890s, their numbers had dwindled dramatically, with flocks only numbering in the hundreds. In 1914, the passenger pigeon became extinct when the last member of the species died at the Cincinnati Zoo.

A direct result of the rapid decline of the passenger pigeon population was most likely

• an increase in owl and falcon populations

• an increase in chipmunk and squirrel populations

• a decrease in fox and chipmunk populations

• a decrease in squirrel and chestnut tree populations

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Due to overfishing, the number of fish in the ocean could drastically decrease. This will cause

• an increase in the stability of the oceans

• an increase in the salt content of the oceans

• a decrease in the stability of the oceans

• a decrease in the oxygen available in the oceans

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

An earthworm lives and reproduces in the soil. It aerates the soil and adds organic material to it. The earthworm is a source of food for other organisms. All of these statements together best describe

• a habitat

• autotrophic nutrition

• an ecological niche

• competition

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which ecological term includes everything represented in the illustration?

• community

• ecosystem

• population

• species

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A pond ecosystem is represented in the diagram.

Energy for this ecosystem originally comes from

• water

• consumers

• sunlight

• plants

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

the diagram shows a cross section of a deep lake. the dashed line which separates level A from level B indicates the depth beyond which light cannot penetrate

Which type of organism that ordinarily inhabits a lake ecosystem would not be found in level B because of the lack of light penetration?

• decomposers

• scavengers

• carnivores

• producers

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The table below shows the results of a study on the lifespan of 115 individual song sparrows.

The two most likely factors contributing to the decline in the number of these 115 sparrows during year 1 were

• favorable climate and a rapid reproduction rate

• lack of predators and an expanding habitat

• lack of mating and loss of nesting sites

• disease and predation

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

The graph shows the number of animals in a population throughout the course of a year. The population migrated into the area at the beginning of 2011.

The graph can best be used to illustrate

• a food chain

• ecological succession

• natural selection

• carrying capacity

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Many biotic factors affect individuals in a population. An example of an organism being directly affected by a biotic factor is

• a squirrel cannot find a mate

• a flood washes away a maple tree

• a plant is in a dark room

• a chipmunk finds a rock pile to use for a home

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NGSS.MS-LS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1