Organism Interactions in Ecosystems

Prairie dogs are small mammals that live in underground burrows in grassland prairie ecosystems. How do prairie dogs depend on these burrows?

Answer explanation

Prairie dogs depend on the burrows for shelter and protection.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Fish in a small pond depend on what biotic factors to meet their needs?

Answer explanation

Fish depend on plants that exchange gasses with the pond water for oxygen, small insects and organisms for food, and other plants for shelter and protection.

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A graph showing the populations of lemmings and weasels in a given environment over a nine-year period is shown below. How many more lemmings are there than weasels during the peak of the lemmings' population?

Answer explanation

250 - 100 = 150 more lemmings than weasels

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How are plants dependent upon the abiotic factors of their habitats?

Answer explanation

Plants depend on water from the ground, carbon dioxide from the air, and sunlight to make their own food.

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In a forest habitat, how are the populations of rabbits and foxes dependent on each other?

Answer explanation

Foxes prey on rabbits, so they are dependent on them for food. If foxes keep the rabbit population stable, then there is enough food for the surviving rabbits in an ecosystem.

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The graph below shows the populations, over several years, for two animals that share a habitat. Foxes are mammals that hunt for food, and grouse are birds, a common prey animal of foxes. According to the data, in which year did the population of foxes show a decrease that is most likely the result of a decrease in the availability of a source of food?

• 2003

• 2005

• 2008

• 2012

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An increase in the population of an organism would most likely be associated with which of the following?

• A series of severe weather events in the habitat

• A decrease in necessary resources available

• An expansion of suitable living space

• An increase in animals that prey on the organism

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What data would be most helpful to support the claim that the population of a certain plant is dependent on the rainfall in its habitat?

• The amount of water retained in the soil in the area where the plants live

• The heights and number of leaves produced by these plants under different moisture conditions

• The average amount of water absorbed by the roots and given off by the leaves of these plants

• Rainfall amounts and number of these plants in a certain habitat over several years

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The milkweed plant serves an important role in the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Adult monarchs lay their eggs in milkweed, and then caterpillars eat that same plant during their development. Based on the relationship between monarchs and milkweed, which of the following trends would be predicted when looking at data on the populations of these two organisms?

• Population of milkweed should remain constant when monarch butterfly population increases.

• Population increase in monarch butterflies should follow population decrease in milkweed.

• Population decrease in monarch butterflies should follow population decrease in milkweed.

• Population of monarch butterflies should remain constant when milkweed population decreases.

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The graph provides data on the populations of four organisms that share a habitat.

This data supports a claim that which two organisms depend on each other?

• Organism 1 and Organism 2

• Organism 2 and Organism 3

• Organism 3 and Organism 4

• Organism 1 and Organism 4

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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