Ecosystem Succession Patterns

Biomass is the amount of living material present in an environment. Biodiversity refers to the variety of living things that are present in an ecosystem. Which of the following would you expect to occur over time as ecological succession moves forward?

• increases in both biomass and biodiversity

• decreases in both biomass and biodiversity

• increases in biomass, but decreases in biodiversity

• decreases in biomass, but decreases in biodiversity

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the following animal niches will be filled first as an ecosystem begins the stages of ecological succession?

• carnivore

• scavenger

• herbivore

• apex predator

The diagram shows how one community of organisms replaces another until which of the following is reached?

• pioneer community

• marine biome

• ecological pyramid

• climax community

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Lava from a volcano cools and becomes new, barren land. If this land is completely barren, then it would contain –

• only abiotic factors

• only biotic factors

• both abiotic and biotic factors

• neither abiotic or biotic factors

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

What ecological factors changes throughout the process of succession and allows for the formation of a forest community?

• defense from attack by parasites

• more sunlight to warm the ecosystem

• the depth of the soil

• the amount of sunlight

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

A student counts 14 dogs in his neighborhood. When he reports this information to his classmates at school he will be telling them about the dog -

• population

• biome

• ecosystem

• community

Which of the sequences below is listed from the least complex to the most complex?

• ecosystem → community → population → organism

• population → organism → ecosystem → community

• organism → population → community → ecosystem

• community → ecosystem → organism → population

The temperature, amount of rainfall and mineral composition of the soil are all factors that can be used to describe -

• a community

• an ecosystem

• a population

• an organism

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Each drawing above represents different stages in community succession. Which of the following represents the correct order that the stages would occur during ecological succession?

• Q – S – R – T

• R – T – Q – S

• T – R – Q – S

• S – Q – T – R

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the drawings above represents the climax community in this succession pattern?

• Q

• R

• S

• T

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4