Ecosystems and Interactions

Which statement describes an organism obtaining energy from a non-living element of the ecosystem?

• An earthworm swallows nutrients found in organic matter.

• A maple tree produces food through photosynthesis.

• A white-tailed deer eats grasses, leaves, twigs, fruit, and nuts.

• A bobcat preys on goats, birds, rodents, and insects.

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Which statement describes one way in which living organisms in a desert ecosystem interact with nonliving things in the ecosystem?

• Sunlight warms soil on the Earth's surface

• Plants get nutrients from the soil

• Sunlight produces light which causes rocks to have shadows

• Desert birds eat seeds found in the sand

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A student puts a fish, plants, gravel, light, and water in an aquarium. Which of the following describes an interaction between the fish and a living part of their environment that is necessary for fish survival?

• Decorative plants produce oxygen

• Beneficial bacteria grow on the gravel. Beneficial bacteria eliminate harmful fish waste products.

• Plants use a light source to make their own food.

• The fish eat the plants.

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What nonliving element in an aquarium helps a fish survive?

• oxygen

• carbon dioxide

• plants

• small rocks

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Green anole lizards are bright-green reptiles native to the southeastern United States. They can be kept in terrariums to study their behavior and how they interact with their environment. Which observation describes the anole lizard interacting with the living elements in its environment?

• The anole rested on one of the rocks and lifted its head toward the light.

• The anole climbed the plant and then ate a cricket off one of the leaves.

• The anole drank some water and then ran across the sand.

• The anole jumped from the rock and scattered sand with its tail.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

A container for a worm farm needs to have a lid, but the lid must be left partially open because worms require which of the following in order to survive?

• Oxygen

• Sunlight

• Carbon dioxide

• All of these

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What is the place where a plant or animal finds its needs to survive?

• Habitat
• Location
• Organism
• Survive

The appearance and body structures of an organism, size, color, shape, body covering are called what?

• contrast
• environment
• survive
• physical characteristics

Pacman frogs live in South America. Some of their traits are listed here.
What habitat change might be harmful for a Pacman frog?

• Heavy rains in the afternoons over a period of days
• An increase in population of several kinds of birds
• The introduction of a new species that eats rodents
• A change in weather, leading to cooler temperatures

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All of the following are examples of living things interacting with each other EXCEPT —

• birds preying on insects living in the grass
• squirrels spreading the seeds of trees by burying them
• frogs sleeping in the mud at the bottom of the pond
• fish eating plants and other smaller fish

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