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WorksheetsExploring Life Cycles and Ecosystems
Total questions: 84
Worksheet time: 1hrs 25mins
Which stage comes after the larva in the life cycle of a beetle?
Egg
Pupa
Adult
Seed
Which of the following best describes a fossil?
A living animal
Remains or traces of ancient living things
A type of rock that forms from lava
A plant that grows in water
What might happen to fish in a pond if a drought causes the water level to drop very low?
The fish will thrive
The fish may perish or move to another location
The fish will turn into frogs
The fish will grow larger
Which of the following shows the correct flow of energy in a food chain?
Sun → Plant → Grasshopper → Frog
Frog → Sun → Plant → Grasshopper
Grasshopper → Plant → Sun → Frog
Plant → Sun → Grasshopper → Frog
Which organism goes through the following life cycle: seed → seedling → mature plant → flower → seed?
Cricket
Lima bean
Beetle
Frog
Which of these is a common Texas fossil?
Dinosaur bone
Shark tooth
Pine cone
Bird feather
If a flood covers a field, what might happen to the animals living there?
All animals will thrive
Some animals may perish or move away
The animals will turn into plants
The animals will become fossils
If bees are removed from a field, what is most likely to happen to the flowers in that field?
The flowers will grow faster
The flowers may not be pollinated and could decrease
The flowers will turn into bees
The flowers will become fossils
Which stage is NOT part of the cricket’s life cycle?
Egg
Larva
Nymph
Adult
What can fossils tell us about the past?
What the weather is like today
What kinds of organisms lived long ago
How to grow plants
How to build houses
How might a drought affect plants in a forest?
All plants will grow faster
Some plants may die or stop growing
Plants will turn into animals
Plants will become fossils
If frogs are removed from a pond, what could happen to the number of insects in that pond?
The number of insects may increase
The number of insects will decrease
The insects will turn into frogs
The insects will become fossils
Compare the life cycles of a beetle and a cricket. What is one difference?
Beetles have a larva stage, crickets do not
Crickets have a pupa stage, beetles do not
Both have a seed stage
Both have a flower stage
Which of these is NOT evidence of a past living organism?
A fossilized leaf
A shark tooth fossil
A plastic toy
A petrified shell
What is one way a flood can change an environment?
It can add more sunlight
It can wash away soil and plants
It can make animals turn into fossils
It can make plants grow seeds
In a food chain, what is the main source of energy for plants?
Water
Sunlight
Soil
Air
A student finds a fossil of a fish in the desert. What can the student infer about the environment long ago?
The desert was always dry
The area may have been covered by water in the past
Fish can live in sand
The fossil was made by wind
A drought has lasted for several months. Predict what might happen to animals that need a lot of water.
They will thrive and increase in number
They may perish or move to a new location
They will turn into plants
They will become fossils
If all the grasshoppers in a field are eaten by birds, what will likely happen to the frogs that eat grasshoppers?
The frogs will have more food
The frogs may have less food and decrease in number
The frogs will turn into grasshoppers
The frogs will become fossils
A student observes that radishes and lima beans both start as seeds. What is one way their life cycles are similar?
Both have a larva stage
Both grow into mature plants that produce seeds
Both turn into insects
Both have a pupa stage
A fossil of a leaf is found in a rock. What does this fossil tell us?
Leaves never existed in the past
Plants grew in that area long ago
The rock is made of leaves
The leaf is still alive
After a flood, some animals are seen in new areas. What is a possible reason for this?
The animals wanted to become fossils
The flood forced them to move to find food and shelter
The animals turned into plants
The animals grew larger
If bees are removed from a field, predict what might happen to the animals that eat plants in that field.
They will have more food
They may have less food because fewer plants will grow
They will turn into bees
They will become fossils
A student compares the life cycles of a beetle and a radish. What is one difference?
Beetles have a pupa stage, radishes do not
Radishes have a larva stage, beetles do not
Both have a nymph stage
Both have a seed stage
A fossil of a sea shell is found on a mountain in Texas. What does this suggest about the area long ago?
The mountain was always dry land
The area was once covered by water
Shells can grow on mountains
The fossil was made by wind
A drought causes a pond to dry up. Predict what will happen to the frogs living there.
The frogs will thrive
The frogs may perish or move to another pond
The frogs will turn into fish
The frogs will become fossils
If all the plants in a food chain die, what will happen to the animals that eat those plants?
The animals will have more food
The animals may perish or move away
The animals will turn into plants
The animals will become fossils
A student observes that crickets and beetles both lay eggs. What is one way their life cycles are different?
Crickets have a nymph stage, beetles have a larva stage
Both have a pupa stage
Both have a seed stage
Both have a flower stage
A fossil of a plant is found in a dry area. What can you infer about the environment when the plant was alive?
The area was always dry
The area may have been wetter in the past
Plants can grow without water
The plant is still alive
A flood destroys many plants in a field. Predict what might happen to the animals that eat those plants.
The animals will have more food
The animals may perish or move to a new location
The animals will turn into plants
The animals will become fossils
Label the life cycle
egg
young
adult
Lumi is asked to observe and illustrate the life cycle of a butterfly.
She records her data by making the drawing shown below. What should she label Stage 3?
(a)
Label the life cycle.
Label the life cycle.
Organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms.
Decomposers
Producers
Consumers
What is a living thing that breaks down plant and animal material, returning the nutrients to the soil?
Producer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumer
Decomposer
Deer need producers and oxygen to provide energy and matter for their cells. What is the primary source of oxygen for the deer in this ecosystem?
The oxygen is a product of photosynthesis by the insects.
The oxygen is a product of photosynthesis by the grasses.
The oxygen is a product of cellular respiration by the cougar.
The oxygen is a product of cellular respiration by the grasses.
Deer need producers and oxygen to provide energy and matter for their cells. What is the primary source of oxygen for the deer in this ecosystem?
The oxygen is a product of photosynthesis by the insects.
The oxygen is a product of photosynthesis by the grasses.
The oxygen is a product of cellular respiration by the cougar.
The oxygen is a product of cellular respiration by the grasses.
What would most likely result if all plants in an area were destroyed?
Consumer populations would increase because more sunlight would reach the ground
Decomposer populations would increase because more sunlight would reach the ground
Consumer populations would decrease because plants provide them with water
Consumer populations would decrease because pants provide them with energy
Animals, plants, and decomposers (a) by changing (b) molecules into (c) molecules that can build their bodies.
Match the following
competition
the struggle for the same resource
population
all members of one type of organism in an environment
energy pyramid
shows how much energy flows through a food web
Match the following
plants
autotrophs
humans
heterotrophs
rocks and sand
abiotic things
phytoplankton
producers
things that have life are
biotic things
Mushroom (Fungus) (a)
If the consumer population decreases, there will not be enough organisms to use (a) and move carbon into the air in the form of (b) .
If the (a) population decreases, there will not be enough organisms to use (b) and recycle carbon from (c) into the air in the form of (d) .
evolutionary features
fossils
mutations
variations
Preserved remains of once-living organisms
What is a paleontologist?
A person who lived a long time ago
A science teacher
A scientist who studies fossils to learn about the history of life on Earth
A scientist who studies plants
Students are studying fossilized animals from the bottom of an ancient lake. The students make drawings of the fossilized animals. One student claims that the fossilized animals are related to living animals. Which statement best supports the student’s claim?
The fossilized animals have body sizes that are similar to the body sizes of living animals.
The fossilized animals are made of rocky materials that are similar to those in the bones of living animals.
The fossilized animals have body shapes and parts that are similar to the body shapes and parts of living animals.
The fossilized animals show signs of having once lived in habitats that are similar to the habitats of living animals.
Match the following
The history of different organisms that lived on Earth based on fossils found around the world.
Fossil record
When organisms shared a single ancestor at one point in their family tree
Common ancestor
Study of animals and their parts
Anatomy
Changes to a particular species over a long period of time
Evolution
A group of organisms with similar characteristics that are able to create offspring by reproduction
Species
Scientists have discovered a fossil impression of an elephant-like animal. They studied and compared the characteristics of the fossil impression with those of the modern elephant. The table gives a brief overview of the scientist’s study.
Choose the correct word or phrase for each blank to correctly complete the sentence supporting the fact that the elephant-like animal’s impression and the modern elephants share a common ancestor.
The (a) of (b) in the fossil impression and modern elephants indicates that they have a common ancestry.
The water moccasin is a venomous snake found in the southern part of Georgia. Several other
nonvenomous water snakes are often mistaken for being a water moccasin. What benefit would
a nonvenomous snake have by looking like a venomous snake?
Other animals will leave them alone.
It helps them blend in better.
They can get food easier.
They can move faster.
48. The arctic fox has white fur during the part of the year and brown fur during the rest of the year. This adaptation is helpful for an animal in what kind of habitat? A habitat that –
A. Has very hot summers
B. Has snow during the winter
C. Does not have many predators
D. Is cold during the entire year
a forest that has many trees growing close together
a desert that has deep sand and only a few plants
a tundra that has snow covering the ground and no growing plants
a mountain region that has evergreen trees spread far apart
This lizard needs to live in a damp area.
A. a dry dessert
B. in an area with other rodents
C. in an area with a pond
A lake is home to many animals. Which of the following animals is best suited for a lake habitat?
lizzard
turtle
dolphin
rabbit
The snake in this food chain is a
producer
primary consumer
secondary consumer
Animals cannot produce their own food, so they must get it from (a) and (b) .
Complete the food chain
SUN ⊳ (a) ⊳ Zebra ⊳ (b)
How many organisms receive energy from the grasshopper?
¿Cuántos organismos reciben energía del saltamontes?
(a)
label the levels of the food chain
tertiary consumer
secondary consumer
producer
primary consumer
Label the levels of the food pyramid:
herbivore
producer
carnivore
label the parts of the food chain
producer
primary consumer
secondary consumer
tertiary consumer
True or false, this is an example of a food web (a)
Which organisms in this food web only eat consumers?
The stage with the question mark is called -
adult plant
seed
seedling
young plant
Which of the following shows the tomato plant’s life cycle in the correct order?
A
B
C
D
The stage with the question mark is called -
adult plant
seed
seedling
young plant
Which diagram has the stages of plant development labeled correctly?
Diagram A
Diagram B
Diagram C
Diagram D
What stage of the plant life cycle is shown?
Full grown, mature plant
a bud
a seed
a sprout
A
B
C
D
What stage us this plant life cycle?
Seed
Seedling
Sprout
In the plant life cycle, an adult plant...
C: has flowers and/or fruit and produces seeds
D: gets buried in the soil and grows into a new plant
A: emerges from the soil and produces the first leaves
B: grows taller and produces more leaves
A seed is a structure that can grow into a plant.
True
False
Flowering and non-flowering plants have different life cycles. Ferns are non-flowering plants. The diagram below shows the fern life cycle.
Which of these is missing from the fern life cycle that is found only in the flowering plant life cycle?
eggs
seeds
adult plants
young plants
Which statement best explains what happens
in step Y of the tomato plant life cycle?
Fruit forms.
The plant grows roots.
The seed is
planted.
The seedling emerges.
What stage of the life cycle is this plant in?
Stem
Roots
Seedling
Adult plant
A (a) grows into a new plant.
