Use the word bank to complete the paragraph. Barnacles live in salt water attached to sturdy objects, such as rocks. All the rock surfaces in a bay are already covered with barnacles. This lack of surfaces to attach to is an example of ___ acting as a(n) ______ factor that could stop the barnacle population from growing.

• space, limiting

• food, abiotic

• temperature, biotic

• light, unlimited

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Over several years, a population of bats that inhabits a cave decreases in size. Which of the following factors could cause this decrease in bat population size to occur?

• decrease in predators

• competition for shelter

• increase in food supply

• increase in water availability

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Banana slugs live on the ground in moist forests of the Pacific Northwest. They consume and break down a variety of materials, including small dead animals and rotting leaves. Which term describes banana slugs?

• carnivores

• consumers

• decomposers

• producers

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

The diagram shows the food web for a forest ecosystem. Organisms at which level have access to the least amount of total energy?

• grasses

• grouses

• hawks

• insects

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are a kind of bacteria found in many lakes. These organisms make their own food through photosynthesis. Small animals, including mayfly larvae, eat the cyanobacteria. Small fish, such as yellow perch, eat the mayfly larvae. The small fish provide food for larger fish such as walleye. Choose the level of the food pyramid that represents the energy role of cyanobacteria in the lake ecosystem.

• A. Level 1

• B. Level 2

• C. Level 3

• D. Level 4

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Which model best shows the transfer of energy within a lake ecosystem, including the position of each organism identified in the paragraph?

• A food web diagram showing producers, consumers, and decomposers

• A bar graph showing the number of organisms in the lake

• A map showing the physical locations of organisms in the lake

• A timeline showing the life cycle of a fish in the lake

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

In some grassland ecosystems, lions are predators that consume zebras. In several estuary ecosystems, fish lice are parasites that consume the blood of fish. How are these two relationships of predation and parasitism from different ecosystems similar?

• One organism in each relationship dies.

• Both organisms in each relationship are harmed.

• Only one organism in each relationship benefits.

• Neither organism in each relationship is harmed.

Lichens in a forest ecosystem are actually fungi and algae living together. The fungi benefit from food produced by the algae. The algae benefit from nutrients and water absorbed by the fungi. Which of the following relationships in different ecosystems is most similar to the interaction of the fungi and algae?

• mutualism between fungi and ants

• parasitism between fungi and humans

• commensalism between birds and trees

• competition between algae and aquatic plants

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

An environmental factor that could explain the deer population trend from 2000–2006 is:

• Availability of food resources

• Increase in industrial development

• Decrease in sunlight hours

• Introduction of new fish species

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which is a change that can lead to a population decrease in an area?

• immigration

• emigration

• increase in habitat

• births

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4