Biodiversity Unit Test
1. Which one of the following animals is most likely to be a keystone species, based on the food web provided?
- Grasshopper
2. Based on the data below, which group of animals are genetically diverse?
- Birds
3. Which biome best supports animals that feed mostly by grazing on grasses and small shrubs?
- savanna
4. Which describes a primary role of the pioneer species in an ecosystem?
- Break down rock into soil
5. What happens after coral is bleached?
- The coral is susceptible to starvation.
6. The most biodiverse ecosystem in the world is likely a
- Coral Reef.
7. Marine biologist Dr. James Estes researched sea otters and their habitats in the Aleutian Islands of the North Pacific Ocean. Sea otters feed on animals such as crabs and urchins. Islands with sea otters contained a lot of kelp, a seaweed that is an important food source for fish and other sea animals. However, Islands without otters had large populations of urchins but no kelp since sea urchins feed on this seaweed. Since sea otters are able to control the population of urchins, this allows for kelp to freely grow in those areas. Given this information, what term best describes the otter in the Aleutian Islands ecosystem?
- keystone species
8. Dolphins are animals that live in water, but they do not have gills. What might this suggest about dolphins?
- They have another structure to obtain oxygen.
9. Which of the following is one response to higher temperatures in a habitat?
- more sweating
10. Why is fever an effective response to pathogens?
- It can inactivate pathogens in the body.
(got these from the bot hasn't been graded yet DO NOT copy and paste change it a bit)
11. Beavers, large members of the rodent family in North America, are often referred to as “ecosystem/keystone engineers” by wildlife managers. Ecosystem engineers are described as animals that create, alter, or destroy a habitat. Beavers contribute to river ecosystems by bringing down old and dead trees along riverbanks. They use these trees to make their dams. Although these dams are primarily used for protection and food storage, scientists report that these dams change the surrounding environment in different ways.
Given this information, in three to five sentences, describe a potential benefit that beavers contribute to the ecosystem as keystone engineers and describe a plausible impact that the removal of beavers could have on the surrounding ecosystem.
- Beavers play a big role in river ecosystems as keystone engineers. By building dams, they create wetlands that support a wide variety of plant and animal species. They also help to control erosion and purify water by keeping sediment and other pollutants. The removal of beavers could lead to large effects on the ecosystem, including the water quality being lowered, and increased risk of flooding.
12. A bird-watcher sees a small yellow bird in a tree. Explain to the bird-watcher how he can use a dichotomous key to identify the bird. Assume he does not know anything about dichotomous keys. Then, write two steps of a dichotomous key that would be helpful for the bird-watcher.
To identify a small yellow bird:
- 1. Does the bird have black and white stripes on its wings?
2. Does the bird have a black mask on its face?
13. Rainbow trout live in the rivers and streams of upstate New York. Rivers in this area are cold and have strong currents. If temperatures fall over time because of climate change, what is one variation that would likely help the trout to survive? Why? Write 1-2 sentences.
- One variation that would likely help the trout to survive if temperatures fall is to develop the ability to survive in more stagnant waters. This would allow the trout to find suitable water temperatures even if the water currents decrease, increasing their chances of survival in the changing environment.
11. Beavers as keystone engineers contribute to the ecosystem by creating wetlands that support a wide variety of plant and animal species. They also help control erosion and purify water by keeping sediment and other pollutants. The removal of beavers could have a significant impact on the surrounding ecosystem. It could lead to lower water quality due to increased sediment and pollutants, as well as an increased risk of flooding since beaver dams help regulate water flow and prevent excessive flooding.
12. A dichotomous key is a tool used to identify organisms based on a series of choices between two characteristics. To identify a small yellow bird, the bird-watcher can use a dichotomous key by following these steps:
1. Does the bird have black and white stripes on its wings?
- If yes, go to step 2.
- If no, go to step 3.
2. Does the bird have a black mask on its face?
- If yes, the bird is likely a black-capped chickadee.
- If no, the bird is likely a blackpoll warbler.
13. If temperatures fall over time due to climate change, one variation that would likely help the trout to survive is the ability to adapt to more stagnant waters. This adaptation would allow the trout to find suitable water temperatures even if the water currents decrease, increasing their chances of survival in the changing environment.
Are pan101 answers correct?
14. Invasive species are organisms that are introduced to an ecosystem where they are not naturally found. They can have negative impacts on native species and the ecosystem as a whole. Choose an invasive species (can be real or fictional) and describe two ways it could impact a native ecosystem. Then, suggest one method for controlling the invasive species.
- The invasive species I chose is zebra mussels, which can impact a native ecosystem by outcompeting native mussel species for resources and attaching to the hulls of boats which can spread the invasive species to other ecosystems. One method for controlling zebra mussels is by treating bodies of water with copper sulfate to kill off the invasive species. Another method is by promoting native mussels by seeding them in the affected areas to outcompete the zebra mussels.