What is a key distinction between the roles of predators and prey in an ecosystem?

• A. Predators are always larger than their prey.

• B. Predators consume other organisms for energy, while prey are consumed by others.

• C. Predators are always carnivores, and prey are always herbivores.

• D. Predators and prey both rely on sunlight for energy.

In the Arctic marine ecosystem, which organism is most likely to experience a population increase if cod are overfished?

• A. seals

• B. shrimp

• C. baleen whales

• D. toothed whales

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Every five years, certain kind of oak trees experience “masting,” in which they produce and drop hundreds of acorns. How can masting affect organisms such as black bear, deer, and squirrels that feed on them?

• The oak population and the populations of organisms that eat acorns will both decline.

• The number of acorns available will not affect the black bear, deer, or squirrel populations.

• The population of oak trees, black bear, deer, and squirrels will all show a slight increase.

• The oak population will decline, while the population of black bear, deer, and squirrels will increase.

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Which category of diet do grizzly bears primarily fall into?

• producers

• carnivores

• omnivores

• herbivores

A student is studying interactions between organisms in a food web. She wonders what could happen in a prairie ecosystem if foxes suddenly disappeared. Which of these is the best answer to her question?

• If foxes disappear, all other populations will grow.

• If foxes disappear, all other populations will shrink.

• If foxes disappear, the population of an organism that feeds on foxes will likely grow.

• If foxes disappear, the population of an organism on which foxes feed will likely grow.

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Which of the following organisms in the food web is a primary consumer?

• hawk

• frog

• grasshopper

• snake

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Gemma wants to investigate the rain forest ecosystem of the Amazon jungle in South America. Gemma uses plants, reptiles, and insects native to New Jersey, where she lives, to build a terrarium, like the one shown here.

Which limitation is true of Gemma's experiment?

• It models a complete ecosystems in New Jersey.

• It does not model an ecosystem in the Amazon.

• It does not include interactions between insects and plants.

• It does not include interactions between reptiles and plants.

In the diagram, what provides the energy for the grass, the hawk, and most life on Earth?

• The Sun

• The Grass

• The Decomposers

• The Frog

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Fill in the blank: The grass in the diagram is a _______.

• A) Producer

• B) Consumer

• C) Decomposer

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Fill in the blank: The grasshopper is a _______ because it eats grass.

• A) Herbivore

• B) Carnivore

• C) Omnivore

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