Keystone

What can happen to an ecosystem without keystone species?

• The ecosystem would remain the same

• The ecosystem would become more diverse

• The ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist

• The ecosystem would have more predators

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

What is often a characteristic of a keystone species?

• They are usually herbivores

• They are often predators

• They are always the largest animals

• They are always the smallest animals

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

What effect does the disappearance of a keystone species have on the ecosystem?

• It causes a domino effect

• It has no effect

• It increases the population of predators

• It decreases the population of plants

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

What is an example of a keystone species mentioned in the text?

• Deer

• Rabbits

• Oysters

• Vultures

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

What happened to the biodiversity of the area when the oysters were removed?

• It increased.

• It decreased.

• It stayed the same.

• It fluctuated.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

What role do sea otters play in the Pacific Northwest ecosystem?

• They eat kelp.

• They control the sea urchin population.

• They are prey for crabs.

• They burrow in the soil.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

What happens to the savanna if elephants are not present?

• It becomes a forest.

• It becomes a desert.

• It becomes a lake.

• It becomes a mountain.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Based on the graph shown, what is the effect of removing a keystone species from an ecosystem?

• biodiversity goes up

• biodiversity goes down

• biodiversity stays about the same

• not enough information to tell

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Barnacles create home sites by attaching themselves to whales. This relationship neither harms nor benefits the whales. 

• parasitism

• commensalism

• mutualism

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

What is a keystone species?

• A species that is the most abundant in an ecosystem

• A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment

• A species that is always a predator

• A species that is always a herbivore

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4