Ecosystem Review

The shortgrass prairie is an ecosystem found in the Great Plains. Many different populations of animals depend on the prairie ecosystem for survival. A typical community includes animals such as snakes, birds, mice, rodents, and insects.

Which food chain most accurately demonstrates the flow of energy in a shortgrass prairie ecosystem?

• grasshopper → bird → rodent → buffalo

• hawk → snake → mouse → grasshopper

• grasshopper → mouse → snake → hawk

• snake → hawk → skunk → mouse

Observe the food chain above. Which organism’s population would increase if finches were removed from the ecosystem?

• Grass

• Grasshopper

• Snake

• Hawk

The roadrunner is a desert bird that eats fruits and seeds. It also eats insects, spiders, scorpions, and rattlesnakes.

What would likely happen if the roadrunner population disappeared from its ecosystem?

• There would be no more fruits or seeds.

• There would a decrease in spider populations.

• The rattlesnake population would stay the same.

• There would be an increase in scorpion populations.

What is one example of the way that energy flows in the food chain above?

• Energy flows from grass to the Sun

• Energy flows from hawks to snakes

• Energy flows from grasshoppers to finches

• Energy flows from snakes to finches

Match the following vocabulary.

• The organism that breaks doewn dead material.

• Consumer

• Where all energy starts.

• Producer

• The animal that eats the producer.

• Photosynthesis

• The green plant that creates in own energy from the sun, air, and water.

• Sun

• The process by which plants create their own food.

• Decomposer

The diagram shows a grassland food chain. If the mice are removed from this food chain, which animal population would most likely be affected first?

• Plant Seeds

• Field Mice

• Snakes

• Mountain Lions

A food chain shows how ​ (a)   get food. Food chains always start with the ​ (b)   , which is the origin of energy. The ​ (c)   is then passed to the producer. ​ (d)   are plants that create their own food with photosynthesis. Next, a primary consumer gets the producer's energy by ​ (e)   it.

• organisms
• sun.
• energy
• Producers
• eating

A food chain shows how ​ (a)   get food. Food chains always start with the ​ (b)   , which is the origin of energy. The ​ (c)   is then passed to the producer. ​ (d)   are plants that create their own food with photosynthesis. Next, a primary consumer gets the producer's energy by ​ (e)   it.

• organisms
• sun.
• energy
• Producers
• eating

The diagram shows a food chain.

The squirrel gets its energy directly from -

• sun

• trees

• other squirrels

• hawk

In this food chain, where does the lizard get its energy from?

• plant

• grasshopper

• mushrooms

• sun