Biodiversity Lesson

Based on your observations, which ecosystem is likely to be the least sustainable?

• Ecosystem 1, because it has the fewest species

• B Ecosystem 2, because it includes both aquatic and terrestrial species

• C Ecosystem 3, because it has few predators

• D Ecosystem 4, because it supports many animals

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Which ecosystem is more likely to survive if a disease killed all of the grass?

• The forest ecosystem, because most of the animals can eat other organisms

• The grassland ecosystem, because several predators compete for food

• The forest ecosystem, because it has three top predators

• The grassland ecosystem, because it has many herbivores

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An ecosystem that is not sustainable can break down when a natural disaster occurs. This can

lead to organisms in the ecosystem either leaving the area or dying off. Increased biodiversity

results in a more sustainable ecosystem because --

• a greater number of plant species means that there is less barren land

• a greater variety of species allows more organisms to adapt after changes occur

• the transition area between two ecosystems is narrower

• there are fewer species to be affected by environmental stresses

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Tropical rain forests have the greatest biodiversity of any type of land ecosystem. How does

biodiversity contribute to the sustainability of an ecosystem?

• The presence of more species with different adaptations makes it more likely that some

  organisms will survive an ecological disaster.

• Greater genetic variation within species makes it more likely that some individuals will survive

  a disease outbreak.

• The presence of a variety of herbivore species that can feed on a large number of different

  producer species helps ensure abundant prey for predators in the ecosystem.

• All of the above

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The box above lists some characteristics of a plant that has adapted to its environment. To

which type of environment is the plant best adapted?

• desert

• grassland

• tundra

• rainforest

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Based on the model, which consumers would receive the greatest amount of energy by the

producers in their food chains?

• Wedge-tailed eagles

• Chuditch

• Ring-tailed opossums

• Eucalyptus trees

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What do the arrows on a food web represent

• The flow of energy, pointing to the animal that is consuming

• The arrows point to what is being eaten

• The arrows do not represent anything

• The arrows are actually squid

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Which sentence best describes how energy flows through this pyramid?

• Energy is transferred down each level of the energy pyramid.

• The energy lost at each level is consumed by organisms in the top level.

• Energy is transferred from organisms in one level to those in the level above.

• The organisms at the bottom level provide energy directly to organisms in all the other levels.

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A reduction in deer population will have the effect in the amount of energy this ecosystem is

able to provide for which of the following organisms?

• rabbit

• mountain lion

• mouse

• hawk

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Based on the chart, which food chain best models a flow of energy in this

ecosystem?

• Sun-----Mosquitoes-----Shrimp-----Coyotes

• Sun-----Algae-----Shrimp-----Red drum

• Sun-----Pygmy sunfish-----Shrimp-----Wood ducks

• Sun-----Willow oaks-----Algae-----River otters

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