Unit 3 Review: Biodiversity

Which animal in the bottom row is MOST LIKELY a keystone species?

• frog

• mouse

• grasshopper

• deer

Genetic diversity is determined by the

• highest number of organisms

• greatest number of species

• location of organisms

The Northern Pacific seastar is a particularly successful invasive species. Which of the following explains why it is so successful in the waters of southeastern Australia, outside of its native environment?

• It is accustomed to a cold climate.

• It consumes the eggs of the spotted handfish.

• It breeds rapidly and has no predators in this environment.

• It can cling to the bottom of ships.

Aside from direct harm to the environment, what other issue do invasive species present ?

• They might directly decrease the ecosystem diversity.

• They might introduce new predators.

• They might change the terrain of the habitat they are in.

• They might introduce other organisms like viruses and bacteria.

What happens after coral is bleached?

• The coral is susceptible to starvation.

• The coral produces peroxides.

• The coral dies immediately.

• The coral releases algae into the ocean.

The most biodiverse ecosystem in the world is likely a

• desert.

• coral reef.

• tundra.

• rainforest.

The Florissant Fossil Beds in Colorado are home to several massive redwood stumps that were subjected to a special kind of fossilization millions of years ago. What service could these fossilized stumps most likely provide?

• shelter

• lumber

• soil creation

• tourism

Sea otters feed on animals such as crabs and urchins. Islands with sea otters contained a lot of kelp, a seaweed that is an important food source for fish and other sea animals. However, Islands without otters had large populations of urchins but no kelp since sea urchins feed on this seaweed. Since, Sea Otters are able to control the population of urchins this allows for kelp to freely grow in those areas. Given this information, what term best describes the otter in the Aleutian Islands ecosystem?

• keystone species

• producer

• apex predator

• consumer

Your friend is having trouble with their compost bin. The material in their compost pile doesn’t seem to be decomposing well. You take a sample of the pile and check for the presence of microorganisms under the microscope. You see that there are indeed microorganisms; however, they don’t appear to be growing very fast. Your friend says that they regularly mixes their compost pile to expose it to oxygen but has noticed the pile feels cold. What is the most likely explanation for this problem?

• Inappropriate food waste may have been included in the compost pile.

• Inorganic materials may have been included in the compost pile.

• The temperature may not be high enough to encourage microorganism growth.

• The temperature may be too high for microorganisms to tolerate.

"Green" material has high amounts of

• carbon

• phosphorous

• magnesium

• nitrogen