Mod C Unit 2 Lesson 3 - Patterns of Interaction

Which statement describes a difference between predators and prey?

• Prey are types of plants, whereas predators are types of animals.

• Prey remain in one place, but predators move around within the ecosystem.

• Prey get energy only from plant materials, and predators eat only animals.

• Prey are hunted for food, and predators capture and eat other animals to get energy.

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The food web shows some of the feeding relationships among organisms in Arctic waters. Which organism would be least affected by overfishing for cod in Arctic waters?

• seals

• shrimp

• baleen whales

• toothed whales

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Every five years, certain kinds of oak trees experience “masting,” in which they produce and drop hundreds of acorns. How can masting affect organisms such as black bear, deer, and squirrels that feed on them?

• The oak population and the populations of organisms that eat acorns will both decline.

• The number of acorns available will not affect the black bear, deer, or squirrel populations.

• The population of oak trees, black bear, deer, and squirrels will all show a slight increase.

• The oak population will decline, while the population of black bear, deer, and squirrels will increase.

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Grizzly bears’ diets consist of roots, tubers, berries, nuts, fungi, insects, rodents, and fish. What ecological role best describes grizzly bears?

• producers

• carnivores

• omnivores

• herbivores

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A student is studying interactions between organisms in a food web. She wonders what could happen in a prairie ecosystem if foxes suddenly disappeared. Which of these is the best answer to her question?

• If foxes disappear, all other populations will grow.

• If foxes disappear, all other populations will shrink.

• If foxes disappear, the population of an organism that feeds on foxes will likely grow.

• If foxes disappear, the population of an organism on which foxes feed will likely grow.

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Gemma wants to investigate the rainforest ecosystem of the Amazon jungle in South America. Gemma uses plants, reptiles, and insects native to New Jersey, where she lives, to build a terrarium like the one shown here. Which limitation is true of Gemma’s experiment?

• It models a complete ecosystem in New Jersey.

• It does not model an ecosystem in the Amazon.

• It does not include interactions between insects and plants.

• It does not include interactions between reptiles and plants.

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This food web shows how parts of a meadow ecosystem interact with parts of a marsh ecosystem. Which of these is a carnivore according to the food web?

• grasshopper

• mouse

• rabbit

• small fish

Answer explanation

The mouse only eats grasshoppers and is the carnivore.

The grasshopper only eats the meadow and marsh grasses, so they are herbivores.

The rabbit only eats the meadow grass and is an herbivore.

The small fish eat both snails and algae, which makes it an omnivore.

Which statements describe the feeding interaction between frogs and insects? Select two (2) that apply.

• The frog is a predator.

• The interaction is mutualistic.

• The frog is a parasite.

• The number of insects can influence the number of frogs in the ecosystem.

Answer explanation

The frogs are predators of the insects. As the insect population increases, frogs will have more food resources to produce offspring.

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If a drought causes insect populations to decrease, the frog population will likely __________. If populations of birds that eat insects increase, the frog population will likely ________.

• increase , increase

• decrease, remain stable

• decrease , decrease

• increase , remain stable

• remain stable , decrease

Answer explanation

Predator populations decrease when prey populations decrease or when competitor populations increase.

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Hundreds of pounds of barnacles may be attached to the surface of whales at a given time. Unnoticed by the whale, barnacles avoid predators and filter plankton from ocean water while the whales feed. In this interaction, the barnacles _________ while the whale is unaffected.

• benefit

• unaffected

• are harmed

Answer explanation

The barnacles get protection and food from the whales.

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