Flow of Energy

Match each animal to what it eats.

• aquatic plants and small aquatic animals

• river otter (animal)

• makes its own food

• catfish (animal)

• small mammals, reptiles, and birds

• eagle (animal)

• small aquatic animals

• algae (plant)

• aquatic plants

• snail (animal)

Organize these options into the right categories.

Groups:

(a) Producers (3)

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(b) Consumers (2)

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(c) Decomposers (2)

• get energy by eating other living things (like plants, animals)

• put nutrients back into the soil

• plants

• animals

• get energy from the sun

• feed on dead plants and animals

• make their own food

Tags

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Organize these examples into the right categories.

Groups:

(a) Producers

,

(b) Consumers

,

(c) Decomposers

• flowers
• coyotes

• dung bettles

• hawks

• algae
• fungi (mushrooms)

• flies

• bacteria

• trees
• seaweed
• owls

• wolves

• maggots

• shrubs
• deer

• earthworms

• grass
• foxes

Tags

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What does the image show?

(Select all that are true.)

• a food chain

• how energy moves from one living thing to another

• a zoo

• how one living thing decomposes another

• an animal exhibit

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

What is the role of the leaves in the food chain?

• Leaves provide structural support for animals in the food chain
• Leaves are responsible for regulating the temperature of the food chain
• Leaves serve as a source of water for the food chain
• Leaves are responsible for producing energy through photosynthesis, which is the starting point of the food chain.

Tags

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What would happen to the food chain if hawks became extinct?

• The population of the snakes would increase, leading to a decrease in the population of the mice, causing a disruption in the food chain.

• The food chain would remain unaffected by the extinction of hawks.
• The snakes would become the new top predator in the food chain, leading to an increase in the population of mice.

• The population of snakes would decrease, leading to an increase in the population of mice, causing a disruption in the food chain.

Tags

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Organize these options into the right categories.

Groups:

(a) Natural Actions Impact Ecosystems (7)

,

(b) Human Actions Impact Ecosystems (7)

• earthquakes
• mining
• urbanization
• deforestation
• tornadoes
• volcanic eruptions
• industrialization
• wildfires
• landslides
• pollution
• floods

• overfishing
• tsunamis
• agricultural expansion

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

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What might happen if you remove owls from this food web?

• The population of mice and grasshoppers may decrease, leading to a decrease in grasses and grains due to under grazing.

• The population of mice and grasshoppers may increase, leading to overgrazing and depletion of grasses and grains.

• The balance of the food web will remain unaffected.
• The population of mice and grasshoppers may decrease, leading to under grazing and overgrowth of grasses and grains.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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What might happen if you remove rabbits and grasshoppers from a food web?

• The population of rabbits and grasshoppers will increase exponentially.

• The ecosystem will become more balanced and stable.

• Removing rabbits and grasshoppers from the food web can disrupt the balance of the ecosystem, leading to overgrazing, carrot, grass, or grain depletion, and affecting the owls and foxes that rely on them as a food source.

• The owls and foxes will find alternative food sources and thrive

Tags

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Why are decomposers important to an ecosystem?

• Decomposers are important to an ecosystem because they contribute to air pollution.

• Decomposers are important to an ecosystem because they compete with plants for nutrients.

• Decomposers are important to an ecosystem because they break down dead organisms and organic matter, releasing nutrients back into the soil for plants to use.
• Decomposers are important to an ecosystem because they disrupt the food chain.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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