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Unit 5 Common Assessment – Plants and Animals are Interdependent
1. The diagram to the right illustrates the relationship between
organisms in an ecosystem. In addition to sunlight, which factor
would need to be added to make this a stable ecosystem?
A. predators
B. prey
C. decomposer
D. herbivores
2. One artic food chain consists of polar bears, fish, seaweed, and seals. Which sequence below demonstrates the correct
flow of energy between these organisms?
A. seals→ seaweed→ fish→ polar bears
B. fish→ seaweed→ polar bears→ seals
C. seaweed→ fish→ seals→ polar bears
D. polar bears→ fish→ seals→ seaweed
3. In an ecosystem, the herring population was reduced by fisherman. As a result, the tuna, which feed on the herring,
disappeared. The sand eels, which are eaten by herring, increased in number. The fisherman then overharvested the sand
eel population. Cod and seabirds then decreased. Which food web below best represents the feeding relationships in
this ecosystem?
A.
B.
C.
D.
4. In an ecosystem, the growth and survival of organisms are dependent on the availability of the energy from the
Sun. This energy is available to organisms in the ecosystem because
A. producers have the ability to store energy from light in organic molecules.
B. consumers have the ability to transfer chemical energy stored in bonds to plants.
C. all organisms in a food web have the ability to use light energy.
D. all organisms in a food web feed on producers / autotrophs.
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5. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram
to the right, which represents a pond food web.
Which energy pyramid most accurately shows the energy
relationships between three organisms in this food web?
A.
B.
C.
D.
6. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram to the
right, which represents a pond food web.
Which statement best describes what will most likely happen if
the amphipod population is removed from this food web?
A. Population sizes of species at feeding levels both before
and after amphipods will decrease.
B. Population sizes of species at feeding levels both before
and after amphipods will increase.
C. Population sizes of species at feeding levels after
amphipods will increase and before amphipods will decrease.
D. Population sizes of species at feeding levels after
amphipods will decrease and before amphipods will increase.
7. Scientists have been concerned about the reduction of shark populations due to overfishing off the east coast of the
United States. Sharks feed on rays, which feed on scallops. Scallops feed on microscopic algae, which they filter from
seawater. Without sharks, the rays consume and eliminate scallop beds, harming the scallop fishing industry. This
situation demonstrates that
A. sharks are not important for the stability of this ecosystem.
B. reducing the shark population increases the quantity of scallops that can be harvested.
C. humans can upset ecosystem stability by removing species.
D. humans improve ecosystems diversity by removing predators.
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8. Base your answer to the following question on the information and graph below.
A population of paramecia (single celled
aquatic organisms) was grown in a 200 mL beaker of water containing some
smaller single-celled organisms.
Population growth of the organisms for
28 hours in shown in the graph below.
Which factor most likely accounts for
the change in the paramecium
population from 8 to 20 hours?
A. an increase in the nitrogen content of the water
B. an increase in wastes produced
C. an increase in available food
D. an increase in water pH
9. The picture to the right shows an energy pyramid.
What will most likely happen to the foxes and the
wolves if the rabbits are removed?
A. The foxes will eat more wolves.
B. The foxes will eat fewer wolves.
C. There will be more foxes and wolves.
D. There will be fewer foxes and wolves.
10. Which of these organisms could most likely be found at the top of an energy pyramid?
A. clams
B. sardines
C. sharks
D. kelp
11. The picture to the right
shows an ocean bay food
chain.
Sea otters move into the
ocean bay. They eat all the
sea urchins.
This change will cause the
A. kelp to have less food.
B. crabs to have more food.
C. sea ducks to have less food.
D. arctic foxes to have more food.
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12. Ecosystems are composed of all living and nonliving components in an area.
Food webs show the flow of nutrients and energy within an ecosystem.
Suppose that a new predator of the rabbit migrated to this ecosystem.
What is the most likely initial effect on the other organisms?
A. More competition among the mice for food
B. More competition among the hawks for food
C. Less competition among snakes for food
D. Less grass available for food
13. Use the diagram to answer the question. In this energy pyramid
to the right, which organism would most likely be in level 2?
A. bird
B. fox
C. caterpillar
D. tree
14. Use the food chain to the right to answer the following question.
What do the arrows in the food chain indicate about the flow of energy in
an ecosystem?
A. Energy is continuously recycled by the organisms in an ecosystem.
B. Energy flows in one direction in an ecosystem, from producers to
consumers.
C. More of the available energy in an ecosystem is given to large
animals than to small animals.
D. Organisms at the top end of the food chain receive more energy
than those at the beginning.
15. Which food chain below correctly summarizes the flow of energy through an ecosystem?
A. sun→ rabbit→ grass→ fox
B. rabbit→ fox→ sun→ grass
C. fox→ sun→ rabbit→ grass
D. sun→ grass→ rabbit→ fox
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16. Which diagram below correctly shows the direction of energy flow through a food web?
B.
A.
C.
D.
17. Use the food chain to the right to answer the question. In
which part of the food chain is the greatest amount of energy
transferred?
A. from the grass to the insect
B. from the insect to the frog
C. from the frog to the owl
D. from the owl to the hawk
18. Lightning from a thunderstorm strikes a tree that falls to the forest floor and dies. During the next few years the dead
tree undergoes many changes. What organisms are most likely responsible for the biological and chemical changes to
the tree?
A. consumers
B. decomposers
C. predators
D. producers
19. A student has set up an artificial ecosystem for a class project. This ecosystem has producers, first-level consumers,
second-level consumers, and third-level consumers. By accident, a chemical enters the ecosystem and kills all of the first
level consumers. Which group(s) of organisms will most likely survive?
A. producers
B. second-level consumers
C. second-level and third-level consumers
D. third-level consumers and producers
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20. The diagram to the right shows an energy pyramid.
Approximately how
much energy is
available to the
secondary consumers
in this energy
pyramid?
A. 10 kcal/m²/year
B. 100 kcal/m²/year
C. 1,000 kcal/m²/year
D. 5,000 kcal/m²/year
21. Which of the following lists identifies organisms that are producers in food webs?
A. algae, ferns, sunflowers
B. mushrooms, bacteria, earthworms
C. termites, red foxes, shrews
D. woodpeckers, cardinals, grasshoppers
22. A simple diagram of nutrient cycling is shown to the right. What
substances do X and Y represent in this nutrient cycle?
A. Substance X is salt and substance Y is water.
B. Substance X is glucose and substance Y is starch.
C. Substance X is nitrogen and substance Y is ammonia.
D. Substance X is carbon dioxide and substance Y is oxygen.
23. The diagram to the right shows the flow of energy
through the organisms in a Maryland river. Use the
diagram to answer the following question.
If the trout were overfished, which population of
organism would most likely increase as a direct result?
A. algae
B. minnows
C. trout
D. zooplankton
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24. The energy pyramid to the right shows the flow of
energy through the organisms in a kelp forest
ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean.
How would the populations of other organisms in
this energy pyramid be affected if the population of
sea urchins suddenly decreased?
A. Both the kelp and the sheephead populations
would increase.
B. Both the kelp and the sheephead populations
would decrease.
C. The kelp population would decrease, and the
sheephead population would increase.
D. The kelp population would increase, and the
sheephead population would decrease.
25. The gypsy moth was accidentally brought into the United States. The
caterpillars of these moths eat the leaves of hardwood trees. Eating these
leaves decreases the growth of the trees and may cause the trees to die. A
gypsy moth and gypsy moth caterpillar are pictured.
Why do gypsy moth caterpillars eat leaves?
A. to destroy the hardwood tree
B. to extract energy for growth
C. to obtain trapped oxygen
D. to produce their own food
26. The food chain to the right shows a garden environment.
Which statement describes the energy transfer in this food chain?
A. The energy from the bird is transferred back to the grasshopper.
B. The grass passes all of the energy it receives from the sun to the grasshopper.
C. Only a small amount of the energy the bird receives from the grasshopper is used by the bird.
D. More energy is transferred from the grass to the grasshopper than from the grasshopper to the bird.
27. Which best determines the number of wolves that can live in an area?
A. the amount of snow in the area each year
B. the number of birds that live in the area
C. the number of trees in the area
D. the amount of food available in the area
28. According to most scientists, the source of energy that sustains life comes from which of the following?
A. plants
B. animals
C. sun
D. Earth
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29. The figure to the right shows the
flow of energy through an ecosystem.
Plants and animals can be classified
based on their position within the flow
of energy through an ecosystem.
Producers, such as green plants, convert
light energy from the sun into chemical
energy. Plants use this energy for
survival; this energy is also used by
first-level consumers, such as cows,
when they eat producers, and so on.
Rabbits eat plants. Accordingly,
rabbits belong to which of the
following groups?
A. producers
B. first-level consumers
C. second-level consumers
D. decomposers
30. Use the energy pyramid to answer the question below. Which of the following groups receives energy directly
from all other groups?
A. producers
B. first-level consumers
C. second-level consumers
D. decomposers
31. What is an environmental factor that causes a population to decrease?
A. Limiting Factor
B. Carrying Capacity
C. Habitat
D. Community
32. What is the largest population that an area can support?
A. Limiting Factor
B. Carrying Capacity
C. Habitat
D. Community
33. What is a place that provides an organism the things it needs to live, grow &reproduce (food, water, shelter, space)?
A. Limiting Factor
B. Carrying Capacity
C. Habitat
D. Community
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34. What are organisms that get their energy by eating plants?
A. Scavenger
B. Omnivore
C. Carnivore
D. Herbivore
35. What is an organism that obtains its energy by eating both plants and animals?
A. Omnivore
B. Herbivore
C. Parasite
D. Carnivore
Enrichment:
1. Carbon dioxide is produced in both the processes of _______________________ and ________________________.
Both words above must be correct for credit.
2. A producer contains 4500 kcal of energy. How much energy will a tertiary consumer get in the same food chain? ____
3. This is the special role of an organism in a certain environment. ______________________