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Balance in Ecosystems

Total questions: 13

Worksheet time: 11mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

In any biome across the world, what would be an impact of losing an organism from its food web?

a)

an increase in its population

b)

an increase in populations that eat that organism

c)

a decrease in the number of scavengers in an area

d)

a decrease in the biodiversity of the region

2.

Why is it extremely important to maintain biodiversity in plants that make up the human diet?

a)

to reduce pollution

b)

to reduce famines

c)

to increase precipitation in an area

d)

to increase the colors for bee pollination

3.

In an ecosystem, organisms are constantly interacting with each other (competing for resources, predator/prey relationships, etc.). Over time, what should happen in a healthy ecosystem?

a)

all the organisms eventually die out

b)

the resources will all be used up

c)

a stable balance among all organisms will occur

d)

too many predators will take over an ecosystem

4.

Over the course of 20 years, scientists see that the populations of all species in an ecosystem have decreased. What is likely true about this ecosystem?

a)

the plants health decreased but the animal health increased

b)

the overall health of the ecosystem is declining

c)

the overall health of the ecosystem is improving

d)

the animal biodiversity increased while the plant biodiversity decreased

5.

What will happen to the chinstrap penguin if the phytoplankton die out?

a)

the penguin population will decrease because they eat organisms that depend on phytoplankton

b)

they will not be affected because the penguins do not eat phytoplankton

c)

the penguins will start eating all the phytoplankton

d)

the penguin will start eating the seals instead

6.

Palm trees are native to warm, tropical ecosystems. What could explain why scientists found a palm tree fossil in Antartica?

a)

the ocean currents carried the palm seeds to a far away island

b)

birds carried the palm seeds to the far away place

c)

over time, continental drift caused the island to move from a tropical area to its current location

d)

the entire world used to be one, large tropical island

7.

Coral is an organism found in shallow, warm tropical waters near the equator. What explanation can be given for why a coral fossil was found in Wisconsin?

a)

there is a large ocean next to Wisconsin

b)

hurricanes blew the coral from the ocean to Wisconsin

c)

deep ocean currents moved the coral pieces to North America

d)

the continents have drifted north, but long ago it was in a tropical location

8.

What would be an explanation for finding fossils in ash between sedimentary rock layers?

a)

a volcanic eruption likely killed the organisms

b)

the climate changed drastically and killed the organisms

c)

the region was below sea level

d)

the fossils were found on the peak of a mountain

9.

How does mining and strip mining affect an ecosystem?

a)

it takes away all the groundwater

b)

it cause soil erosion so plants cannot grow

c)

it takes away all pollution from an area

d)

it improves the overall quality of life for organisms in the region

10.

In any food chain, which would be the worst case scenario?

a)

all the apex predators die off

b)

the plant eaters have a large population increase

c)

the plants begin to die off from pollution

d)

the winter lasts longer than usual

11.

Famines, droughts, fires, and natural disasters cause organisms in a ecosystem to...

a)

have parasitic relationships

b)

increase competition for resources

c)

destroy each other

d)

change niches

12.

To care for forests, workers often intentionally set fires. This is considered good for the plant and animal life in a region. How could this be helpful?

a)

the smoke in the air helps organisms get an increase in oxygen

b)

everything is destroyed in the fire's path

c)

it only burns the bark on the tree

d)

it clears away species that are invasive to the forest

13.

If the rabbits, began to die out, how would this affect the buzzard and the fox?

a)

the fox would be more affected since they feed on fewer animals than the buzzard

b)

there would likely be no change at all

c)

the buzzard and the fox would be equally affected

d)

the buzzard would be affected more since they feed on more animals than the fox