Recycling Matter in Ecosystems

What happens to matter in an ecosystem as it flows through a food chain like this one?

• The total amount of matter stays the same.

• The total amount of matter increases.

• All of the matter is converted to energy.

• Part of the matter is lost to the environment as heat.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Based on the chart, which of these is true about animals?

• Meat-eating animals could survive if there were no decomposers.

• All animals depend on both plants and decomposers.

• Meat-eating animals could survive if there were no plants.

• Plant-eating animals could survive if there were no decomposers.

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Which of the following best describes the role of consumers in ecosystems?

• Consumers break down waste materials to release energy.

• Consumers convert energy from the Sun into nutrients.

• Consumers eat other organisms to get energy.

• Consumers make their own energy using sunlight.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

How does the woodpecker depend on the tree?

• The tree grows fruit that the woodpecker eats.

• The tree provides water for the woodpecker.

• The tree is food for beetles that the woodpecker eats.

• The tree grows leaves that the woodpecker eats.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

What does the water beetle depend on for food?

• People

• Water lily

• Fish

• Birds

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Which of the following organisms is a producer?

• Tree

• Insect

• Earthworm

• Mushroom

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Which of the following best describes the role the bacteria are playing in this ecosystem?

• Decomposers

• Producers

• Consumers

• Predators

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

In which direction does matter flow in the food chain?

• From the eagle to the mouse

• From the grasshopper to the grass

• From the snake to the grasshopper

• From the mouse to the snake

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What happens to the matter that is broken down by decomposers?

• It is recycled back into the ecosystem and can be used by plants to grow.

• It stays at the decomposer level and is used over and over by those organisms.

• It becomes part of the soil and can no longer cycle through the ecosystem.

• It is removed from the ecosystem and replaced by new matter.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

If all of the wild cats were removed from the ecosystem, how would the other animals living in the grasslands be affected?

• Kites would have to find a new food source.

• Rabbits would have to find a new food source.

• Owls would have to eat more mice for energy.

• Lions would have to eat more jackals for energy.

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