Rainforest
A rainforest has hundreds of different plant and animal species. What term describes the variety of life in this ecosystem?
Biodiversity
A coral reef contains many different types of fish, coral, and other organisms. What does this suggest about its biodiversity?
High biodiversity.
A wildfire burns trees and shrubs in a forest. What is this event called when it significantly changes the ecosystem?
A disturbance
Fertilizer washes from nearby farms into a lake. Is the fertilizer an abiotic or biotic factor in the ecosystem?
Abiotic, because fertilizer nutrients are nonliving chemical components.
Arctic animals depend on cold temperatures and seasonal food supplies. Name one abiotic factor that affects their survival.
Temperature, sunlight, water availability, or frost conditions.
Farmers clear large areas of rainforest for crops. Predict one way this could affect the biodiversity of the ecosystem.
Biodiversity decreases as organisms lose habitat, food, or shelter.
Ocean temperatures rise, causing corals to bleach. Is this an example of a disturbance? Explain your answer.
Yes; unusually warm water disrupts normal reef conditions.
After a wildfire, sunlight reaches the forest floor and new plants begin to grow. Describe one way the fire changed the conditions for plant growth.
More sunlight reaches the ground, and ash may add nutrients; effects depend on fire severity and soil conditions.
Fertilizer runoff causes algae to grow rapidly. Later, oxygen levels drop and fish begin dying. Identify the disturbance and one resource that has become limiting for the fish.
The disturbance is pollution (fertilizer runoff)
Warmer temperatures cause some tundra plants to grow more shrubs and fewer low-growing plants. Explain how this could affect animals that depend on the original vegetation.
Animals may lose food or shelter, face new competitors, or need to move.
A rainforest monkey population grows until there is not enough fruit or space for all the monkeys. What explains why the population can no longer continue growing?
Carrying capacity; limited resources prevent indefinite population growth.
Overfishing removes many large predatory fish from a reef. Explain how this could disrupt the reef's food web.
Prey populations may increase, or the food web may become unbalanced through trophic cascades.
Two forests burn. One begins recovering quickly, while the other remains damaged for years. What ecological property differs between these forests?
Resilience.
An invasive fish species enters a lake and competes with native fish for food. Explain one way this could affect native biodiversity.
Native biodiversity may decline as invasive fish compete for resources or prey on native species.
As the Arctic warms, some species move farther north to find suitable temperatures. What does this suggest about how organisms respond to environmental disturbance?
Organisms may migrate or shift their range in response to environmental change.
Two rainforest areas experience deforestation. Area A has many different species, while Area B has only a few. Explain why Area A may be more likely to maintain ecosystem functions after the disturbance.
Greater biodiversity can provide more resilience and make the ecosystem less vulnerable to losing one species.
Two coral reefs experience bleaching. One recovers more successfully because it has healthier habitats and greater species diversity. Explain how biodiversity could contribute to its recovery.
Different species may maintain ecosystem functions, and healthier habitat conditions can support recovery.
A forest contains several tree species, but a disease kills nearly all trees of one species. Explain why having multiple tree species could help the forest continue functioning.
Other tree species may continue providing habitat, food, and other ecosystem functions.
A lake has fewer fish after pollution reduces oxygen levels. Explain how this environmental change could lower the lake's carrying capacity for fish.
Low oxygen reduces the habitat and resources that fish can survive in, so fewer fish can be supported.
A caribou population loses part of its feeding habitat because of melting permafrost and vegetation changes. Explain how this could affect its carrying capacity.
Reduced suitable feeding habitat can lower carrying capacity, meaning the habitat supports fewer caribou.
A rainforest community wants to protect endangered species while allowing people to earn money from the land. Propose one conservation strategy and explain how it could protect biodiversity while benefiting people.
Examples: protected areas, sustainable deforestation, eco friendly tourism; the explanation should connect the strategy to habitat or species protection and community needs.
A government must choose between allowing unrestricted fishing and creating a marine protected area where fishing is limited. Which option is more likely to support long-term reef health, and explain two ecological benefits.
A marine protected area; it can allow populations to recover, preserve habitats, and support biodiversity and food-web stability.
A forest manager must decide whether to remove every dead tree after a wildfire or leave some behind. Recommend one approach and explain how it could affect biodiversity and ecosystem recovery.
Either approach can be defended. Leaving some dead wood can provide habitat and nutrients; selective removal may reduce certain hazards or aid restoration. Students should explain the ecological trade-offs.
A town wants to restore a polluted lake. Propose one conservation or restoration action and explain how it could improve biodiversity and help the ecosystem recover.
Examples COULD include reducing pollution into the lake, restoring wetlands, or improving water treatment; explanations should link the action to improved water quality and recovery.
An Arctic conservation team has limited funding and must choose between protecting a single endangered species or protecting a large area of connected land habitat. Recommend one approach and justify your choice using biodiversity and long-term ecosystem health.
Either option can be justified. Protecting connected habitat may benefit many species and allow movement; protecting a single species may be appropriate if it faces an immediate extinction risk.