Ecosystem Interactions - 5.9C | Day 3

Crested floating heart is a non-native plant that now grows in Texas. This plant grows very fast and can spread over the entire surface of a pond or lake. Which effect will most likely occur when crested floating heart covers a lake?

• Small fish will have fewer places to hide from predators.

• Less sunlight will reach the plants that grow underwater.

• Several new trees will grow along the lake shore.

• Deer will have to find another source of water.

Which effect would most likely occur if a six-lane highway were built through an ecosystem?

• Competition for resources would be reduced.
• Habitats available to animals would be reduced.
• Air pollution would decrease.
• Water pollution would decrease.

A wooded habitat changes as a new road is built. How will building this road most likely affect this habitat?

• Soil erosion will decrease.
• Precipitation will increase.
• Animal populations will decrease.
• Plant reproduction will increase.

Fertilizers used on farms near the coast can be carried to the ocean when runoff occurs during rain showers. These fertilizers can decrease the populations of fish and shellfish. Which other populations most likely decrease as a result?

• Organisms that eat algae
• Organisms that live on farms
• Organisms that eat fish and shellfish
• All of these

Data for four animal populations in a wooded area were collected before and after a shopping mall was constructed near the area. The graph shows changes in the populations. Which animal’s food sources most likely increased after the mall opened?

• Snakes, squirrels, and raccoons
• Squirrels only
• Snakes, squirrels, and deer
• Raccoons only

The nesting habits of four types of birds are described in the table below. If all the dead branches and dying trees in a wooded area are removed, which bird’s nesting habit would be most affected?

• Baltimore oriole
• Barn swallow
• Downy woodpecker
• Belted kingfisher

Prairie dogs eat plants and dig underground tunnels. Prairie dog tunnels help breakup hard prairie soils, and the animals’ waste adds nutrients to the soil. In the past, large groups of prairie dogs lived in many parts of the U.S. Great Plains, but people have destroyed most of these colonies. Which of these will most likely happen when prairie dogs are removed from an area?

• The population of predators that eat prairie dogs will decrease.
• The population of plants that prairie dogs eat will decrease.
• The nutrients in the soil will increase.
• The number of underground tunnels will increase.

Wild Texas hogs, similar to the one shown below, are descended from hogs brought here from other countries. These wild hogs eat many different kinds of foods, including plants, fungi, and insects. Besides being very destructive to the habitats of other animals, how do wild hogs most likely harm other animals?

• By competing with other animals for food
• By moving slower than most other animals
• By causing other animals to reproduce more
• By eating foods that no other animals eat