Life Science Part B

The table below summarizes the similarities and differences between temperate deciduous forests and tropical rainforests.

The trees in temperate deciduous forests lose their leaves, while most trees in tropical

rainforests stay full and green all year. Which statement best explains this difference?

• Both ecosystems have high biodiversity.

• Rainforests have high biodiversity but temperate deciduous forests do not.

• Temperate deciduous forests stay warm and wet all year, while temperature and

  amount of rainfall change throughout the year in rainforests.

• Rainforests stay warm and wet all year, while temperature and amount of rainfall

  change throughout the year in temperate deciduous forests.

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At the Beaver Dam

A team of scientists has been observing a family of beavers at a local stream. There are four beavers

in the family—a large adult male, an adult female, and two young male beavers. Both adult beavers

have dark brown fur, and the adult male has a large chunk missing from his broad, flat tail.

The scientists watch as the beaver family works to build a dam from tree branches and mud. Beaver

dams can be very beneficial to a stream ecosystem. They reduce erosion, form slow-moving ponds,

and create water habitats for many other species of plants and animals.

Figure 1 shows a food web that may occur after the beavers finish building the dam.

The beaver family is also building a lodge in the pond created by the dam. The lodge consists of

twigs, sticks, and mud, and is where the beavers will store their food. The lodge also provides a living

space for the beavers and an area to hide from predators. The young beavers watch carefully as their

parents build and take care of the lodge. Which statement identifies beavers as consumers?

• Beavers are dam builders.

• Beavers eat trees and aquatic plants.

• Beavers hide from predators in lodges.

• Beavers build dams that are beneficial for the ecosystem.

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Which statement is true, based on the image?

• The moose would have more food resources if the number of beavers increased.

• The beavers would have fewer food resources if the number of trees decreased.

• The beavers would have fewer food resources if the number of gray wolves increased.

• The gray wolves would have more food resources if the number of trees decreased.

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Based on image, which change in the ecosystem would most likely cause the beaver

population to decrease?

• increases in the aquatic plant and moose populations

• decreases in the gray wolf and rabbit populations

• planting more trees and aquatic plants

• removing all the trees in the habitat

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Which question could help identify an inherited trait in beavers?

• Were the young beavers born having dark brown fur?

• Did the young beavers learn from their father how to remove a chunk from their tails?

• Did the young beavers learn how to make the lodge by watching their parents?

• Were the young beavers born knowing how to store food in a lodge?

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Which questions would most help identify instinctual and learned behaviors? Select all that apply.

• Why do beavers hide from predators?

• How are beavers able to digest trees and aquatic plants?

• Is the size of a beaver's teeth important/

• How do beavers know how to build a lodge?

Beavers hiding from predators is an example of a learned behavior.

• True
• False

Beavers knowing how to build a lodge is an example of an instinctual behavior.

• True
• False

This is a food chain for a forest ecosystem.

Which organism is the decomposer in this food chain?

• grass

• frog

• hawk

• fungi

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A field is full of vegetation. A rabbit population lives in the field. There is a sudden increase in

the population of rabbits, resulting in more rabbits than there were last year. How will this affect

the field?

• The field will remain the same because the rabbits will eat the same amount of

  vegetation as they did last year.

• The field will contain less vegetation because the rabbits will eat the same amount of

  vegetation as last year.

• The field will contain less vegetation because the rabbits will eat more vegetation than

  last year.

• The field will contain more vegetation because the rabbits will eat less vegetation than

  last year.

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