Question 1
1. Elk enjoy eating the leaves of Cottonwood trees. Which of the following represents a food chain with proper arrows showing energy flow that is found in the ecosystem described above.(1 point)
A. Cottonwood tree -> Elk
B. Elk -> Cottonwood tree
C. Cottonwood tree <- Elk
D. Elk <- Cottonwood tree
Correct answer: A. Cottonwood tree -> Elk
How did the reintroduction of the grey wolf, a carnivore predator, affect the population of the cottonwood trees, a type of producer?
(1 point)
Responses
The cottonwood tree population did not change.
The cottonwood tree population did not change.
The cottonwood tree population decreased and then stabilized.
The cottonwood tree population decreased and then stabilized.
The cottonwood tree population increased and then stabilized.
The cottonwood tree population increased and then stabilized.
The cottonwood tree population increased and then decreased back to zero.
The cottonwood tree population increased and then stabilized.
3. Use the drop down menus to complete the paragraph describing the events related to the reintroduction of the grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park.(6 points)
Before people understood their importance in the ecosystem, the
was hunted almost to extinction. Because of this, the
population grew much too large. They overgrazed and caused significant reduction in the population of
. When the grey wolf was reintroduced, they began to naturally
the population of elk. This allowed the cottonwood tree population to
. After several years of adjustment, all three populations
and showed healthy oscillation in the ecosystem.
Before people understood their importance in the ecosystem, the grey wolf was hunted almost to extinction. Because of this, the elk population grew much too large. They overgrazed and caused significant reduction in the population of cottonwood trees. When the grey wolf was reintroduced, they began to naturally control the population of elk. This allowed the cottonwood tree population to increase. After several years of adjustment, all three populations stabilized and showed healthy oscillation in the ecosystem.
To answer this question, we need to understand what a food chain is and the energy flow within an ecosystem.
A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms, where each organism serves as a source of food for the next organism in the sequence. It represents the transfer of energy and nutrients from one organism to another. In an ecosystem, energy flows from the producers (plants) to consumers (animals), forming a chain of energy transfer.
In the given scenario, we know that elk enjoy eating the leaves of Cottonwood trees. So, let's create a food chain using this information:
Cottonwood tree (producer) > Elk (primary consumer)
The arrow represents the flow of energy from one organism to the next. In this case, the energy flows from the Cottonwood tree to the elk. Therefore, the correct food chain with proper arrows showing energy flow in the ecosystem described above is:
Cottonwood tree -> Elk