C4 7.10B, C, 7.11C Biodiversity, Succession, Dichotomous, Select

Some dairy farmers want to increase the amount of milk produced by their cows. How can the farmers use selective breeding to increase milk production?

• By increasing the age of the cows that are bred

• By choosing cows that are high milk producers

• By limiting the number of offspring per cow

• By choosing cows that can produce milk after eating the most food

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When Charles Darwin visited the Galápagos Islands in the 1800s, he observed many types of organisms that were similar but lived on different islands. The four species of mockingbirds found on the Galápagos Islands are shown below. Each species lives on a different island. These species are very similar, but the Hood mockingbird has a longer beak than the other three species. Which of the following best explains this difference?

• The Hood mockingbird needs a longer beak for defense against predators.

• The Hood mockingbird originated from a different type of bird than the other species.

• The Hood mockingbird’s longer beak is an adaptation to the food available in the bird’s habitat.

• The Hood mockingbird’s beak stretched to reach its food, and the longer beak was passed down to its offspring.

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Wheat was one of the first plant crops that humans domesticated. In the process of domestication, the wild form of wheat was eventually changed into a form more suited to human agricultural practice. Early farmers most likely used seeds only from wheat plants with —

• larger grains that could produce more food per plant

• taller stems that could block sunlight from weeds growing at ground level

• larger flowers that could be sold for additional income

• thinner stems that could endure heavy winds

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Which question is most relevant to an ecosystem beginning primary succession?

• Why is there no soil, grass, or shrubs present in the ecosystem?

• Why are there so many kinds of animals living in the ecosystem?

• What types of hardwood trees are growing in the ecosystem?

• What caused the forest fire that destroyed the previous ecosystem?

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Some student take care of a vegetable garden. When it is time to plant in the spring, the students leave part of the garden empty in order to observe ecological succession. Which of these will most likely occur first?

• Development of topsoil

• Growth of weeds and grasses

• Growth of trees and shrubs

• Development of a stream

Both primary and secondary succession begin with pioneer species that —

• change the area and make it safer from predatory organisms

• invade the area so that new organisms cannot be established

• modify the area and allow larger and more complex organisms to appear

• use up all the existing resources and prevent establishment of non-native organisms

Primary succession occurs when pioneer species move into an area that has no plants. Which organisms are common pioneer species?

• Conifer trees and tall grasses with roots that loosen the soil

• Mosses and lichens that can grow on rocky surfaces

• Grasses and weeds that arrive as seeds carried by the wind and then germinate in rich soil

• Vines and shrubs that help prevent the erosion of shallow soil

An ecosystem that is not sustainable can break down when a natural disaster occurs. This can lead to organisms in the ecosystem either leaving the area or dying off. Increased biodiversity results in a more sustainable ecosystem because —

• a greater number of plant species means that there is less barren land

• a greater variety of species present allows more organisms to adapt after changes occur

• the transition area between two ecosystems is narrower

• there are fewer species to be affected by environmental stresses

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The food webs below model relationships among the organisms in two ecosystems. Which ecosystem would be more likely to survive if a disease killed the grasses?

• The forest ecosystem, because most of the animals can eat other organisms

• The grassland ecosystem, because several predators compete for food

• The forest ecosystem, because it has three top predators

• The grassland ecosystem, because it has many herbivores

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Tropical rain forests have the greatest biodiversity of any type of land ecosystem. How does biodiversity contribute to the sustainability of an ecosystem?

• The presence of more species with different adaptations makes it more likely that some organisms will survive an ecological disaster.

• Greater genetic variation within species makes it more likely that some individuals will survive a disease outbreak.

• The presence of a variety of herbivore species that can feed on a large number of different producer species helps ensure abundant prey for predators in the ecosystem.

• All of the above

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