AP Biology Ecology and Energy Transfer

A team of ecologists observed feeding patterns of several populations in the desert. The energy pyramid shown below depicts the feeding patterns the ecologist observed. Which of the following best explains the difference in the amount of available energy in the trophic levels of the desert ecosystem?

• There is less energy available in the producers because their tissues are less dense than those at higher trophic levels.
• There is more energy available in the second trophic level because less energy is needed for hunting compared to the higher trophic levels. 
• There is more available energy in the birds of prey because they have greater muscle mass for storing energy than organisms in lower trophic levels have. 
• There is less available energy in the fourth trophic level because of the loss of energy through metabolism in each of the lower trophic levels.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A diagram of a food web is shown below.Which level would have the least available energy

• Hawk
• Rabbit
• Grasshopper
• Mouse

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

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The diagram shows the cycling of nutrients in an ecosystem. The removal of which of the following groups would cause an immediate decrease in the amount of energy flowing through the system? 

• Producers
• Consumers
• Decomposers
• Inorganic nutrients

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the following statements is true about natural systems? 

• Consumers form the bottom levels of both the energy pyramid and the biomass pyramid.
• Producers are at the bottom level of both the energy pyramid and the biomass pyramid.
• Producers are at the bottom of the energy pyramid, but at the top of the biomass pyramid.
• Producers are at the bottom of the energy pyramid, but at the top of the biomass pyramid.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Which of the following would be the most likely effect, if there were a sudden increase in the cricket population?

• There would be a decrease in the small bird population.
• There would be a decrease in the grass/flowers population.
• There would be a decrease in the mice population.
• There would be an increase in the grass/flowers population.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Which organism has the most energy and which organism has the least amount of energy? Choose the best answer. 

• mosquito and grass
• mouse and grass
• grass and owl
• grass and small bird

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

If additional snakes are introduced into this ecosystem, there will most likely be an immediate decrease in the _________.  

• hawk population
• rabbit population
• wildflower population
• grass population

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

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If the primary producers have 10,000 kcal how much do the secondary consumers have?

• 1,000 kcal
• 100 kcal
• 10 kcal
• 1 kcal

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Which organism receives the least amount of energy from the producer?

• Owl
• Grasshopper
• Lilypad
• Mouse

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Rocks, water, air, sun, and soil are...

• biotic
• abiotic

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