Trophic Cascade

Why does the otter have a negative impact on the sea urchins population?

• The otters eat sea urchins

• The otters protect the sea urchins

• The otters eat the food of the sea urchins

• The otters protect the food of the sea urchins

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A keystone species that keeps populations under control by hunting. This also impacts other species further down the food chain.

• keystone predator

• keystone prey

• keystone ecosystem engineer

• keystone plant

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Sea otters are key to protecting coastal kelp forests but consuming sea urchins. Sea otters are which type of keystone species?

• predator

• prey

• plant

• ecosystem engineer

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Choose all organisms associated with the trophic cascade in the pacific northwest Aleutian Islands.

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What happens when you remove sea otters from the ecosystem?

• Kelp forests disappears

• There are more fish

• Coral reefs die

• Estuary ecosystems change

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Starfish on shorelines will control mussels from overcrowding algae, limpets, anemones, and sponges by eating them. This helps maintain the biodiversity of the shore.

• predator

• prey

• plant

• ecosystem engineer

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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What is the primary way in which keystone species influence their ecosystems?

• By being the most numerous

• Through their dietary preferences

• By controlling the population sizes of other species

• By altering the physical environment

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How can the loss of a keystone species affect an ecosystem?

• It can lead to increased biodiversity

• It may result in the collapse of the ecosystem

• It usually has no significant effect

• It leads to an increase in invasive species

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

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Why was the songbird population reduced by the presence of too many elk in Yellowstone?

• Elk ate young trees, so birds had fewer places to nest.

• Elk ate too many songbirds.

• Wolves at songbirds when no elk were available.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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How did the elk population impact the vegetation of Yellowstone?

• The elk ate it all, They reduced the vegetation to almost nothing, or they devoured it, leaving it bare.

• Nothing at all. the vegetation just grew as normal.

• A drought actually caused the vegetation to die and the elk trampled what was left.

• The elk ate some of it but lots of the vegetation remained.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4