Ecosystem Changes

Humans are part of the ecosystem and therefore impact it. Which of the following events in an ecosystem may produce a negative effect?

• Preventing deer from depleting food resources.

• Restoring a natural habitat.

• Wildlife rangers minimizing disturbances.

• A lumber company clearing a forest.

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A highway is built through a forest. This will most likely have which of the following effects on the organisms in the area?

• Increase the number of bird species in the forest

• Raise the birth rate of the animals on the forest floor

• Eliminate all species of plants found in the forest

• Make it difficult for animals to move through the forest

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Alligators are the large predators that eat many of the smaller animals in a swamp. How might removing the alligators from a swamp habitat create a decrease in vegetation?

• Meat-eating animals would begin eating plants.

• The plants in the swamp would get more sunlight.

• More plant-eating animals would survive.

• Plants would not be able to spread their seeds.

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If humans over-hunted a population of insect-eating birds, what immediate change would likely be seen in the area?

• Increased seedling germination

• Increased populations of insects

• Migration of small mammals

• Severe loss of vegetation

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Raccoons eat aquatic animals. If chemicals entered the lake with rain water and destroyed the plants, how would this impact the raccoon population?

• Raccoons would have less aquatic animals to eat.

• Raccoons would begin eating land plants.

• Raccoons would only drink water.

• Raccoons would have more aquatic animals to eat.

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A meadow has too many rabbits. What would help balance this ecosystem?

• more rain that grass needs

• fewer foxes that eat rabbits

• more foxes that eat rabbits

• more grass for the rabbits to eat

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How would beavers building a dam cause an increase in the fish population? The dam -

• causes predators to hunt more fish

• removes trees from around the river.

• forces many birds to leave the ecosystem.

• blocks a river and creates a lake.

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When a certain population becomes so dense that it harms or changes the quality of life in that environment, we have...

• a population
• overpopulation
• pollution

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An ______________ is a system made up of all the biotic and abiotic factors in an area and all the interactions among them.

• ecosystem
• habitat
• population
• biodiversity

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When the last member of a species dies, the species becomes

• extinct
• endangered
• threatened
• dead

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