Ecosystem Test

The Kangaroo rat lives in desert climates in North America and has the following characteristics.

 

Characteristics of the Kangaroo Rat

·       They have big hind feet with four toes that enable them to jump up to 9 feet to escape predators

·       They get the moisture they need from their seed diet

·       They have large heads, big eyes, and small ears.

·       They have excellent hearing

·       Found in drier regions

·       Live in underground burrows and spends most of day sleeping

·       They do not sweat or pant like other animals to keep cool because that would cause water loss.

·       Its name comes from the ability to run in a bipedal fashion, like a kangaroo

The Kangaroo rat is adapted to a certain type of environment. Which of these resources is most likely limited or scarce in the environment the kangaroo rat lives?

food  water  sunlight oxygen

Write the letter(s) in the correct box(es). Not all answers will be used

1.  The limited resource in the environment the kangaroo rat lives is ​ ​ ​ (a)  

• Water
• Food
• Sunlight
• Oxygen

Tags

8.11A

Texas horned lizards are found in the western part of Texas. Texas horned lizards eat grasshoppers and ants. Grasshoppers and ants are consumers of nearby grasses. Some predators of Texas horned lizards are the cottonmouth snake and hawk. The hawk is also a predator to the cottonmouth snake.

 

Which diagram below shows how energy would flow through this ecosystem?

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Tags

8.11A

Two Central Texas counties are partnering with Texas A&M Wildlife Services to offer a bounty on feral hogs, which number in the millions in Texas. Feral hogs can cause more than 1.5 billion dollars in damage each year. Feral hogs are omnivores that feed on local plants, crops, and small animals. 

 

Which types of organisms would feral hogs compete with for food?

Select TWO correct answers.

• A.   Feral hogs would compete with carnivores for food

• B.   Feral hogs would compete with decomposers for food

• C.   Feral hogs would compete with producers for food

• D.   Feral hogs would compete with herbivores for food

• E.    Feral hogs would compete with parasites for food

Tags

8.11A

 A barnacle is a kind of crustacean that lives stuck to hard surfaces in the ocean. Scientists are studying two different types of barnacles that live in Scotland on the surface of rocks. The graph shows that in some area’s species A lives alone. In other areas species B lives alone. In some areas both species can be found living together.

If species A were removed from this ecosystem, where would species B most likely be found living?

 

• A.   Zones I, II, III

• B.   Zone III only

• C.   Zones II and III only

• D.   Zone II only

Tags

8.11A

. A dead zone refers to areas in the ocean that have a reduced level of oxygen in the water. This loss of oxygen can greatly impact the amount of marine life found in the area.

 

All of the following human activities could contribute to the increasing amounts of dead zones in the ocean except -

 

• A.   Agricultural runoff from farmland that carries fertilizers into the rivers and streams that lead to oceans

• B.   Restoring floodplains in watersheds which can slow the flow of water and capture the excess nutrients in runoff before it gets to the ocean

• C.   Sewage that carries nutrient rich runoff from nearby cities. The nutrients cause algae to grow abnormally fast and consume most of the oxygen in the water.

• D.   Vehicle and industrial emissions of chemicals from an increase in urbanization around waterways

Tags

8,11C

Beetles can vary in color from one species to another depending on their genes. The table below shows the characteristics of the habitats you would find the two different colors of beetles living.

 The environment that each of these beetles live is experiencing several years of a drought which reduces the amount of plant growth each year.

What would this environmental impact have on the beetle population?

• A.   The number of brown and green beetles will decrease because of the drought

• B.   The number of brown and green beetles will increase because of the drought

• C.   More green beetles will survive the drought to pass on their green genes to future generations

• D.   More brown beetles will survive the drought to pass on their brown genes to future generations

Tags

8.11B

Forests cover 31% of the land on our planet. Many animals rely on the forests for survival. Within any forest you can find many different bird populations. The Wood Thrush feeds and nests mainly on the forest floors. The Pine Warbler lives in pine trees, and you rarely see them out of the pine tree. They get the resources they need among the treetops. How will future bird populations be affected by deforestation?

 

• A.   Deforestation will affect future bird populations because they will have to become better suited to live in the treetops

• B.   Deforestation will affect future bird populations because they will have to become more suited for life on the ground

• C.   Deforestation will affect future bird populations by making them become extinct immediately

• D.   Deforestation will not impact future bird populations

Tags

8.11B

. Nutria is a large semi-aquatic rodent that has created many problems for coast marshland in Texas. Nutria were originally breed and imported for the fur trade industry but were freed in the wild in the 1930s. Hurricanes have spread their populations across the coastal areas of Texas. These large plant eating rodents live in many rivers and streams and can eat up to 25% of their body weight in every day.

The introduction of this species into coastal areas has led to - 

• A.   An increase in the number of predators that live in rivers and streams

• B.   An increase in the pollution of local rivers and streams

• C.   The destruction of local vegetation as well as local crops

• D.   A sudden increase in the water levels of local rivers and streams

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

DDT is a pesticide human use to control pests and mosquitos. This pesticide can affect various body systems in aquatic animals including the heart, brain, and reproductive systems. In many species of birds, their eggshells become weakened. How would DDT affect the populations of animals who came in contact with this pesticide used by humans?

 

• A.   The populations would continue to grow stronger over time

• B.   The populations would increased because they would be able to reproduce at a faster rate

• C.   The populations would remain stable over time

• D.   The populations would decrease as reproduction rates and survival rates of young decreased

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

The Gila Monster is the largest land lizard in the United States. It can be found in desert areas, under rocks, and is ground-dwelling. Which of the following environmental changes would most likely cause a change in the genetic traits of a Gila Monster population?

 

• A.   A wildfire that burns the trees in the Gila Monster’s ecosystem

• B.   A predator that preys on only the light-colored Gila Monsters in an ecosystem

• C.   A dry summer in the Gila Monster’s ecosystem

• D.   An individual Gila Monster exposed to chemicals that causes a mutation that is not passed on to its offspring

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS4-4