Developing Solutions for Ecosystem Problems

The deep ocean is home to many kinds of animal life. Fish, animals with shells, and worms live down there. But there are no plants. Why don’t plants grow in the deep ocean?

• The water is too cold.

• There is too much salt.

• There is not enough light.

• The soil on the ocean floor cannot grow plants.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

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Ecosystems support limited populations of organisms. Which factor could vary between ecosystems and might limit the number of organisms a forest ecosystem can support?

• the amount of air in the ecosystem

• the number of hills in the ecosystem

• the number of eggs a bird lays one spring

• the number of sunny days that occur in one week

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Which of these happens during the time a fallen log is decomposing?

• The fallen log slowly begins to die.

• The fallen log continues to produce food.

• The materials in the log combine into new, complex parts.

• The materials in the log are broken into smaller, simpler parts.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

This picture shows a food chain that can be found in a prairie.

At which level in the food chain is the most energy available?

• frog

• plant

• snake

• cricket

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Different animals have different needs. For example, some animals can live close together in communities, but others require a lot of space. The table shows the number of individuals of four different animals that can be supported by 25,000 acres of habitat.

Which type of animal would you expect to disappear first if the habitat were destroyed?

• black bear

• bobcat

• fox

• deer

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4