Flow of Energy in Living Systems

A Texas Gulf Coast energy pyramid is shown with representative organisms at each trophic level.

Which statement best describes the flow of energy through this pyramid?

• The trophic level represented by catfish and gobies receives energy directly from the producers

• The trophic level represented by shrimp and copepods receives energy directly from the tertiary consumers

• The trophic level represented by redfish and flounder receives energy directly from the secondary consumers

• The trophic level represented by wire grass and phytoplankton receives energy directly from the primary consumers

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112.19.b.5.B

Fox squirrels are common in Texas. Fox squirrels primarily eat acorns and nuts from trees but also eat insects. Some predators of fox squirrels include owls, snakes and bobcats.

Which diagram best represents how energy would flow to and from the fox squirrel?

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112.19.b.5.B

The chart lists organisms in five different categories living near the Texas Gulf Coast. Based on the chart, which food chain best models a flow of energy in this ecosystem?

• Sun --> Mosquitoes --> Shrimp --> Coyotes

• Sun --> Algae --> Shrimp --> Red drum fish

• Sun --> Pygmy sunfish --> Shrimp --> Wood ducks

• Sun --> Willow oaks --> Algae --> River otters

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112.19.b.5.B

A partial grassland food web is shown.

Which of the following best describes a relationship in this grassland?

• Badgers are top predators because they eat upland sandpipers and beetles

• A producer-consumer relationship exists between lupines and ants

• A predator-prey relationship exists between beetles and ground squirrels

• Upland sandpipers are primary and secondary consumers because they eat grasses and grasshoppers

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112.19.b.5.B

An energy pyramid is shown.

Which sentence best describes how energy flows through this pyramid?

• Energy is transferred down each level of the energy pyramid

• The energy lost at each level is consumed by organisms in the top level

• Energy is transferred from organism in one level to those in the level above

• The organisms at the bottom level provide energy directly to organisms in all the other levels

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112.19.b.5.B

A partial mountain forest food web is shown.

Which statement does NOT describe a relationship shown in the food web?

• Elk are prey for mountain lions

• Mice are herbivores that consume grasses and are preyed on by snakes

• Owls prey on rabbits and frogs

• Rabbits consume shrubs and are parasites of grasses

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112.19.b.5.B

A partial marine food web is shown.

Which organisms all consume the same producer?

• Crabs, pilchards, blennies

• Euphausiids, sweeps, water fleas

• Tiger sharks, dolphins, octopuses

• Sea urchins, crabs, octopuses

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112.19.b.5.B

A partial food web is shown. The numbers in the boxes represent animals in the food web.

Which organisms have three carnivorous predators and a consumer-producer relationship with at least one organism?

• The organisms that fit in boxes 2, 3, and 7

• The organisms that fit in boxes 5 and 7

• The organisms that fit in boxes 4 and 6

• The organisms that fit in boxes 2 and 7 only

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112.19.b.5.B

A student researching a northern forest ecosystem learns the following information about feeding relationships in the ecosystem.

Which food web best represents the flow of energy in these feeding relationships?

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112.19.b.5.B

Many Texas caves provide a habitat for animals that live in total darkness. The caves are damp and cool, and most of the caves are rich in the mineral calcite. The diagram shows the relationships of some organisms involved in a cave ecosystem.

Based on the diagram, which of the following statements is valid?

• Owls are predators of bats, and bats are predators of moths

• Beetles compete with bats and cave spiders

• Snakes prey on bats and owls

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112.19.b.5.B