Domain 5 – Ecology: 15-Question Assessment

The arrows in a food chain or food web represent:

• the direction of energy flow

• the movement of animals

• the growth of plants

• the amount of food available

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The trophic level that contains the greatest amount of available energy is:

• Producers

• Primary consumers

• Secondary consumers

• Tertiary consumers

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Only about 10% of energy is passed to the next trophic level because:

• most energy is lost as heat during metabolic processes

• energy is equally distributed among all trophic levels

• organisms at higher trophic levels are more efficient at using energy

• energy is stored in the soil and not transferred

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Decomposers play an important role in an ecosystem by:

• breaking down dead organisms and recycling nutrients

• producing energy from sunlight

• hunting and consuming other animals

• creating food through photosynthesis

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The process in the carbon cycle that returns CO2 to the atmosphere is:

• Photosynthesis

• Respiration

• Transpiration

• Absorption

Nitrogen is important for living organisms because:

• It is a key component of proteins and DNA.

• It provides energy for cellular respiration.

• It helps in the absorption of sunlight.

• It is the main source of carbohydrates.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The carrying capacity of an environment is determined by:

• the availability of resources

• the number of predators

• the amount of sunlight

• the migration rate of species

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Which is an example of a density-dependent limiting factor?

• Competition for resources

• Natural disasters

• Temperature extremes

• Sunlight availability

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

A population grows rapidly and then levels off. What does the leveling off represent?

• The carrying capacity of the environment

• A decrease in birth rate

• An increase in food supply

• A sudden extinction event

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

A keystone species is important because it...

• helps maintain the structure and balance of an ecosystem

• is the most numerous species in an ecosystem

• is always a top predator

• provides food for all other species

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4