Organisms and Environments 5.9(A)

The chart below lists plants and animals interacting with parts of an environment. Which statements describe an animal interacting with a living part of the environment? 1. A hummingbird dips its beak inside a flower. 2. A lizard burrows into the sand to stay cool. 3. A fish absorbs oxygen through its gills. 4. A cactus wren eats seeds from a cactus fruit. 5. A sea star clings to a rock in a tidal pool. 6. A bear scratches its back against a tree.

• Statements 1, 4, and 6 only
• Statements 1, 3, and 5 only
• Statements 2, 5, and 6 only
• Statements 2, 3, and 4 only

A student’s model of a closed ecosystem is shown. The student plans to add land snails to the model in order to show how the snails interact with different parts of the ecosystem. What should the student add to the model so that the snails will survive?

• Fish to provide food
• Sticks to provide a place to hide
• Deep water to provide carbon dioxide
• Living plants to provide oxygen

A zookeeper sets up a habitat for a certain species of rabbit. Which answer choice describes the rabbit as it interacts with two nonliving parts of the rabbit’s habitat?

• The rabbit breathing air while running down a rocky path
• The rabbit licking its fur while feeding its young
• The rabbit hiding under plants from loud noises
• The rabbit nibbling on vegetation inside the habitat

A student observed and recorded some activities in an aquarium. 1. A fish eats flakes of fish food dropped into the aquarium. 2. A snail crawls over colored rocks at the bottom of the aquarium. 3. A fish eats leaves from a plant in the aquarium. 4. A snail lays eggs in a corner of the aquarium. 5. A fish swims through air bubbles being pumped into the aquarium. 6. A snail moves up a wall of the aquarium. An interaction between two living parts of the environment is represented by —

• Observations 1 and 2
• Observation 3
• Observations 4 and 5
• Observation 6

Which of these describes one or more living organisms that depend on another living organism to survive?

• Bacteria living in the mouth of a horse
• Ivy plants growing up a fence to obtain more sunlight
• Mold living on a hard, rocky surface
• An angelfish releasing carbon dioxide into pond water

Aquatic plants have adaptations that help them live in water. For example, the structures needed for making food are located on the tops of floating plant leaves. This adaptation helps the plants —

• absorb sunlight
• stay anchored
• avoid predators
• capture fish

Green anole lizards are bright-green reptiles native to the southeastern United States and the Caribbean islands. They can be kept in terrariums to study their behavior and how they interact with their environment. Which observation describes this anole lizard interacting with the living elements in its environment?

• The anole rested on one of the rocks and lifted its head toward the light.
• The anole climbed the plant and then ate a cricket off one of the leaves.
• The anole drank some water and then ran across the sand.
• The anole jumped from the rock and scattered sand with its tail.

Many gardeners use red worms like the ones shown in the photograph to turn vegetable and fruit scraps into topsoil for plants. The gardeners build a worm farm in a large container lined with old newspapers and filled with moist garden soil. The worms eat about half their body weight daily and produce waste that can be used as plant fertilizer. The container for a worm farm needs to have a lid, but the lid must be left partially open because worms require which of the following in order to survive?

• Oxygen
• Sunlight
• Carbon dioxide
• All of these

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

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