Stability Check

What is carrying capacity?

• The maximum amount of organisms that an ecosystem can support

• The minimum amount of organisms that an ecosystem can support

As a population nears the carrying capacity resources become

• Increase

• Limited

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As the fish population continues to increase what happens?

• They start to die from lack of food and water

• They live long happy lives

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Why does carrying capacity exist?

• There are a limited amount of resources in an ecosystem

• There is an infinite amount of resources in an ecosystem

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Mice live in an ecosystem where they use berry bushes as their main food source. One day, a group of scientists released a second species of rabbit into the ecosystem that are much faster and better at obtaining the berry bushes than the mice.

How will this affect biodiversity and competitive exclusion? (select 2)

• The new rabbit species will succeed in the competition for food over the mice

• The mice will succeed in the competition for food over the new rabbits

• The mice will be excluded from food and decrease in population size

• The rabbits will be excluded from food and decrease in population size

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English Ivy is an invasive plant species now found in North America. In an effort to control the

English Ivy, biologists tested and released three caterpillar species to feed on the plant.

Which result is an unintended negative consequence of releasing these caterpillar species into the environment?

• There will be an increase in the available habitat for non-native plant species.

• There will be an increase in the population numbers of native caterpillar species in the habitat.

• There will be an increase in competition for food resources among the native caterpillars and the ones released by the scientists

• There will be an increase in pollination of native plant species.

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Wolves and Rabbits have a predator prey relationship. Wolves hunt down the rabbits for food. Which of the following are true about their relationship? (select 2)

• In the absence of the wolves or other predators, the rabbit population could be at risk of exponential

  growth.

• The stability of the rabbit population is dependent on the stability of the wolf population.

• There will always be more predators than prey in this ecosystem.

• If the wolves got faster and better at hunting, the rabbit population would not be affected

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An invasive plant was added to a lake's ecosystem. It grows quickly, covering large areas of the water's surface. When the plant dies and decomposes, the oxygen content in the water declines. How will this plant affect the rest of the ecosystem? (select 2)

• It will prevent the growth of native plants

• It will block sunlight from reaching plants lower in the lake

• It produces waste products and energy for the other species to use

• It increases the stability of the ecosystem

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What would happen to ecosystem stability if the orcas began overhunting the sea otters nearing extinction? (select 3)

• There would be more sea urchins (the otters prey)

• There would be less kelp (the main producer)

• Ecosystem stability would decrease due to the increase in sea urchins eating all the kelp

• Ecosystem stability would increase due to the increase in kelp

• There would be more kelp (the main producer)

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A local lake has an overgrowth of algae from fertilizer runoff. This algae prevents sunlight and oxygen from entering the lake, harming the organisms in the lake. Oysters are a type of creature that are able to reduce the number of algae in the water.

How will releasing oysters into the water affect the ecosystem?

• There will be an increase in biodiversity due to the oysters removing algae

• There will be an decrease in biodiversity due to the oysters creating more algae

• The ecosystem will become less stable

• All of the organisms in the lake will die

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