Population and Ecosystems Unit Test
1. Three bird species share a habitat. Bird A eats insects and plant seeds. Bird B drinks flower nectar. Bird C eats plant seeds. A drought occurs in their habitat, and that season’s plants are wiped out entirely. What is the likely outcome for each type of bird?
2. An increase in which of the following could increase the long-billed curlew population?(1 point)
3. Long-billed curlews eat many different kinds of insects, including grasshoppers, as a source of food. It has been shown that pesticide use kills many of these insects. How would you expect an increase in pesticide use to affect to the population of long-billed curlews in the same area?(1 point)
4. How might bird populations on mountainsides respond to a warming climate?(1 point)
5. What happened to North American coastal waters when the great white shark population decreased?(1 point)
6. Which organism is most responsible for the decrease in the great white shark population?(1 point)
7. Climate change is primarily driven by(1 point)
8. Hunting can be used to combat(1 point)
9. Fertilizer from agriculture flows into the ocean. What organism may directly benefit from this runoff?(1 point)
10. Emperor penguins breed on shelves of sea ice in the winter. By spring, the chicks have developed waterproof plumage and are ready to swim in the cold ocean waters. What effect might a warming climate have on the penguins? (1 point)
11.Which statement provides the best evidence to support the claim that Burmese pythons have an impact on the environment? (1 point)
12. In three to five sentences explain how resource scarcity, competition, and the survival of organisms are connected.(4 points)
13. Your teacher asks you to write a paper that supports a claim with evidence. In three to five sentences, describe one claim you would like to make and discuss different forms of evidence you can collect to support your claim. Where would you look for this evidence?(4 points)
1. Bird A, which eats insects and plant seeds, may struggle to find enough food to survive. Bird B, which drinks flower nectar, may also have a hard time finding sources of food. Bird C, which eats plant seeds, may also struggle due to the lack of plant seeds available in their habitat.
2. An increase in grasshopper populations could increase the long-billed curlew population as they are a food source for the curlews.
3. An increase in pesticide use would likely decrease the population of long-billed curlews as it kills off their food source, the insects like grasshoppers.
4. Bird populations on mountainsides may respond to a warming climate by moving to higher elevations where temperatures are cooler to avoid the heat.
5. When the great white shark population decreased, the North American coastal waters were impacted as the prey species of the great white sharks, such as seals, may have increased in number leading to a change in the ecosystem.
6. Human activity, such as overfishing and hunting, is most responsible for the decrease in the great white shark population.
7. Climate change is primarily driven by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
8. Hunting can be used to combat overpopulation of certain species and maintain a balance in ecosystems.
9. Phytoplankton may directly benefit from fertilizer runoff from agriculture as it can lead to an increase in nutrients in the water, promoting their growth.
10. A warming climate may have a negative effect on emperor penguins as the sea ice they breed on may melt, leading to a loss of habitat and making it harder for them to find food.
11. One piece of evidence to support the claim that Burmese pythons have an impact on the environment is the decrease in populations of native species such as small mammals and birds in the areas where the pythons have been introduced. This indicates that the presence of the invasive pythons is disrupting the natural balance of the ecosystem.
12. Resource scarcity can lead to competition among organisms for limited resources, such as food and shelter. This competition drives the survival of the fittest, with those organisms best adapted to the environment having a better chance of survival. In this way, resource scarcity and competition are key factors in determining which organisms are able to survive and thrive in an ecosystem.
13. One claim I would like to make is that the introduction of non-native species can have negative impacts on native ecosystems. Evidence to support this claim could include studies showing the decline of native species populations in areas where invasives have been introduced, comparisons of ecosystem health before and after the introduction of a non-native species, and data on the spread and impact of invasives in different regions. I would look for this evidence in scientific journals, environmental reports, and studies conducted by researchers and conservation organizations.