Food Chains
Plant Needs
Worms
Ecosystems
Dinosaurs
100
What is a food chain? How do food chains help scientists study living things?
A food chain shows the connection between living things. Food chains help scientists study living things by studying the relationship between preys and predators, and what could happen to our ecosystem if there is a disruption in the chain.
100
Why do we need plants?
Plants are an essential resource - we rely on them for food, water, medicine, the air we breathe, habitat, our climate and more.
100
Why are earth worms decomposers?
Earthworms are decomposers of already dead or dying organic matter, like leaves. They get their nutrients, or food, from the bacteria and fungi that grows on the dying/dead organic matter.
100
Producers....
a. use carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
b. include plants, algae, and phytoplankton.
c. make their food, rather than eating other living things.
d. all of the above
d. all of the above.
100
Scientists think that Tyrannosaurus rex was able to run at a speed of 12 miles per hour. Where did T. rex get the energy that it used to run when it was alive?
T. rex got its energy from Triceratops. That energy is not connected to the Sun.
T. rex got its energy from green plants, which got their energy from the Sun.
T. rex got its energy from eating Triceratops. Triceratops ate green plants and green
plants got their energy from the Sun.
T. rex got its energy directly from the Sun.
T. rex got its energy from eating Triceratops. Triceratops ate green plants and green
200
Scientists think that Tyrannosaurus rex was able to run at a speed of 12 miles per hour. Where did T. rex get the energy that it used to run when it was alive?
T. rex got its energy from eating Triceratops. Triceratops ate green plants and green plants got their energy from the Sun.
200
You learned that even giant trees get their weight mostly from the air. Your friend Zane doesn’t believe you. He says “Air doesn’t even weigh anything. How could a giant tree grow from air?!?”
You set up a balloon experiment to show Zane that balloons filled with air pull a balance scale down when compared to balloons that do not have air in them. How does this experiment support your argument that plants grow using air?
The experiment shows that air has weight. This shows that air can contribute to the weight of a tree.
200
What is not true about earthworms' role in the environment?
They mix and loosen soil.
They break down decaying plant material.
They eat plants’ roots.
They release nutrients plants need to grow.
They eat plants’ roots.
200
Decomposers....
a. are all microscopic (can only be seen under a microscope).
b. create nutrients out of the air that help plants grow.
c. break down waste and material into nutrients for plants.
d. release oxygen for animals to breathe
c. break down wast and material into nutrients.
200
Which organisms were most likely to survive the Cretaceous extinction?
Omnivores, decomposers, small animals, and plants.
300
Connect the organisms of the forest ecosystem with arrows to create food chains. Each arrow should point in the direction of how material (matter) travels in each food chain. For example, a squirrel eats acorns from an oak tree, so you would draw an arrow from the oak tree to the squirrel.
300
You set up another experiment to help convince Zane. Plant leaves are covered in tiny holes that take in air. You start with two plants, Plant A and Plant B. You don’t do anything to Plant A. But for Plant B, you cover most of the tiny holes with tape. The image to the right shows what happened to Plant A and Plant B after a few days.
How does this experiment support the argument that plants grow using air?
The experiment shows that air is very important for the plant to be healthy. This shows that air is needed for a plant to survive.
The experiment shows the process of how air can get into a plant. This shows that air can contribute to the weight of a tree.
300
Which of the following is NOT a good example of using evidence to support a claim about earthworms?
Worms burrow underground and hide under things away from the light. Therefore, worms like darkness.
Worms look a lot like caterpillars, which are pests. Therefore, worms must also be pests.
Worms dig burrows and move the soil like farmers do with plows. Therefore, worms help plants to grow because they move and loosen the soil.
Worm castings have more nutrients than the dirt around them. Therefore, worms are helpful to plants, because worms add nutrients to the soil that plants need.
Worms look a lot like caterpillars, which are pests. Therefore, worms must also be pests.
300
Why do you have to clean a fish tank, but not a pond?
A fish tank is not a complete ecosystem. It does not have decomposers to break down waste and dead material, or plants to use carbon dioxide and release oxygen. As a result, you need a water filter and bubbler to keep a fish tank healthy.
300
What would happen if part of the food chain was removed? Use dinosaurs to help you.
What would happen if it was removed by natural causes (i.e. by nature)?
What would happen if it was removed by nonnatural causes ( i.e. by humans )?
If a part of the food chain was removed, then most, or all, of the living things would be affected. For example, if we look at the dinosaur chain we can see that after the astroid hit the Earth, the sun was blanketed by dust for several years, and many living things were affected by the loss of sun. Big and medium dinosaurs, and plants died because of lack of sun, but when the dust uncovered the sun plants slowly came back to life and new ecosystems emerged.
400
Scientists are worried that a disease that kills oak trees will spread into this forest. What would happen to this ecosystem if all the oak trees suddenly disappear? Choose all correct answers.
If there aren’t any oak trees, the squirrels will not have anything to eat. They will need to find another food source or they will not survive.
If there aren’t any oak trees, the robins will not have anything to eat. They will need to find another food source or they will not survive.
If there aren’t any oak trees, the hawks may not have anything to eat because the squirrels and robins may not survive.
All of the above
All of the above
400
Ana wants to open a plant store, but she’s worried that it will cost too much money. Ana thinks that as plants grow, they use the material from the soil to get bigger. Potting soil costs a lot of money. Ana is worried she will need to buy a lot of soil to feed her plants. She decides to set up an experiment. Ana grows one plant in a pot for 3 weeks. She weighs the plant and the soil at the start and end of the experiment.
The results of Ana’s experiment are shown below. What did Ana find out with her experiment?
The plant weighed more at the end of the experiment.
The soil weighed the same at the start and end of the experiment.
400
Which facts about earthworms are True?
1. They have have soft, flexible bodies
2. They can move forward or backward.
3. They have a dry, scaly outer layer.
4. They live in burrows underground.
5. They like damp places.
6. They have large chewing mouths.
7. They can sense light.
8. They often come out when it rains.
True: 1) They have have soft, flexible bodies
2) They can move forward or backward. 4)They live in burrows underground. 5)They like damp places. 7) They can sense light. 8)They often come out when it rains.
False: They have a dry, scaly outer layer. They have large chewing mouths.
400
Scientists are worried that a disease that kills oak trees will spread into this forest. What would happen to this ecosystem if all the oak trees suddenly disappear? Choose all correct answers.
If there aren’t any oak trees, the squirrels will not have anything to eat. They will need to find another food source or they will not survive.
If there aren’t any oak trees, the robins will not have anything to eat. They will need to find another food source or they will not survive.
If there aren’t any oak trees, the hawks may not have anything to eat because the squirrels and robins may not survive
All of the above.
All of the above.
400
TRUE or FALSE? Scientists have reason to think that NOT ALL of the dinosaurs died in the Cretaceous extinction. Explain your answer:
TRUE, scientists have evidence that birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs. It’s likely that only non-bird dinosaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.
500
Amir released some pet frogs into the forest ecosystem. The frogs eat earthworms and crickets. Hawks, robins, and squirrels do NOT eat these frogs. What will happen to this ecosystem if the frogs start living in the forest?
1. The dead leaves will pile up because the frogs will eat all the decomposers. The decomposers will not be there to eat the leaves.
2. The robins will not have anything to eat. They will need to find another food source or they will survive.
500
What evidence do you have to support your claim that plants mostly use materials from the air for their growth?
Plants mostly use materials from the air for their growth. The first experiment showed that air has weight. The second experiment showed how air enters into plants and is important for their survival. The third experiment showed that plants do not “eat” soil. In the third experiment, the soil weight doesn’t change, but the plant gains weight. It must be gaining weight from the air it’s taking in through its leaves. (And maybe some of the water from its roots.)
500
How do the characteristics of worms make them well-suited to living underground?
Worms live in the should where it's dark and damp, which is what they prefer. They can sense light and move away from the surface.
500
Why do scientists find it helpful to create models of interactions in an ecosystem?
Scientists need a clear way to show all the different interactions in an ecosystem. This can help scientists figure out what things happen in an ecosystem and predict what will happen in the future.
500
Scientists think that the dinosaurs went extinct because an asteroid hit the Earth and created a giant dust cloud that covered up the Sun. Diego doesn’t think this explanation makes sense. He says, “Some dinosaurs ate other dinosaurs to get their energy. Why would removing the Sun cause the carnivores to go extinct?” Explain to Diego why carnivores would go extinct without the Sun.
Carnivores would go extinct without the Sun because they get their energy from the Sun. Carnivores do not produce their own food or eat green plants, but the organisms that they do eat get their energy from green plants, which get their energy from the Sun. The energy of every organism can be traced back to the Sun as the source of that energy.