1. Which of the following gases do plants use to do photosynthesis? (1.04)

A. hydrogenB. nitrogenC. carbon dioxideD. carbon monoxide

The diagram below shows a simple food web.

2. Which animal is classified as an herbivore? (1.02)A. frogB. foxC. snailD. cat

3. A group of students is building a model of an ecosystem. Which of the following organisms should the students select to act as a decomposer? (1.02)A. SnailB. DeerC. WormD. Bird

4. A student wants to put some plants in a window-box planter. The window selected for the plants is always shaded by a large tree outside the window. Which characteristic of the plants would most likely affect the plants’ growth in this location? (1.04)

A. leaf shapeB. lightC. plant priceD. flower color

5. Which location on Earth receives the most direct sunlight? (1.04)A. North CarolinaB. The South PoleC. The EquatorD. The Western Hemisphere

6. The diagram above is of a food pyramid. What does a food pyramid mainly show? (1.03)A. There are many herbivores.B. There are more plants than herbivores.C. There are too many carnivores.D. There are more carnivores than plants.

5th Grade Ecosystems TestName_______________________Date_____________

7. A strip of land is cleared of trees and bushes to make space for a power line. What impact might this have on birdsliving in the area? (1.06)A. The natural enemies of birds will be eliminated.B. Weather conditions may change.C. The rate of erosion will decrease.D. There will be less food and shelter.

8. Algae and other producers need lots of sunlight. Most ocean algae would be found in the water — (1.04)A. Near the shallow areasB. In the oceanic trenchC. In the deep seaD. On the beach

9. Which of these natural resources is a source of lumber for home building? (1.07)A. OilB. CoalC. Trees D. Grasses

10. Which is the best example of two organisms having a mutualistic relationship? (1.05)A. A tick and a dogB. A sea anemone and a clown fishC. A tapeworm and a humanD. None of the above

11. Which of the following is a behavioral modification for the desert? (1.01)A. Being active only at night.B. Growing roots into the ground.C. Swallowing their prey whole.D. Hunting during the day.

12. Which basic need to groundhogs meet by burying themselves a hole into the ground? (1.04)A. FoodB. WaterC. ShelterD. Sunlight

13. Which of these would best complete this food chain? (1.05) A. HawksB. MiceC. BacteriaD. Fungi

14. Which diagram shows how energy flows through a food chain? (1.05) A. Producers -> Carnivores -> HerbivoresB. Sun -> Producers -> Herbivores -> CarnivoresC. Sun -> Carnivores -> Producers -> ConsumersD. Herbivores -> Carnivores -> Producers

15. Why do large trees have a difficult time living in a tundra? (1.01)A. A tundra is too hot for trees to grow large.B. Animals that live in a tundra destroy most vegetation.C . Flooding occurs too often in a tundra for large trees to grow.D. The soil in a tundra is too poor for large trees to grow.

16. Which effect does a decrease in sunlight have on a pond ecosystem? (1.04)A. an increase in oxygen levelsB. a decrease in the nitrogen levelsC. an increase in the algae populationD. a decrease in the algae population

17. Which organisms are producers? (1.02)A. oak treeB. frogsC. insectsD. snakes

18. Different types of birds within an environment may feed on different types of organisms. What is a benefit of this type of interaction? (1.05)A. It allows different birds to build better nests.B. It reduces competition between different birds.C. It causes different birds to reproduce more often.D. It allows different birds to escape from predators.

19. What is a likely consequence of cutting down rain forests? (1.06)A. a reduction in the amount of air pollution on EarthB. an increase in the number of plants living on EarthC. a reduction in the variety of organisms living on EarthD. an increase in the number of arctic ecosystems on Earth

21. A species of giant pandas lives only in central China. Bamboo, a tall, green tropical plant, is the main food source for these animals. Large areas of bamboo are being cut down in central China to make room for growing other crops. What will most likely happen to these giant pandas? (1.06)A. They will become endangered or extinct.B. They will migrate to colder areas of China.C. They will become carnivores.D. They will begin to live in caves.

22. The owl butterfly has patterns on its wings that look like large eyes. How does this help the butterfly survive? (1.05)A. It helps the butterfly fly faster.B. It helps the butterfly see better.C. It helps the butterfly scare enemies.D. It helps the butterfly absorb sunlight.

23. Which organism uses sunlight to produce food that others eat? (1.02)A. SnailB. SunfishC. ButterflyD. Green Algae

24. In a forest, how do decomposers help other organisms survive? (1.02)A. They release oxygen into the air that animals breathe.B. They put nutrients into the soil that plants use to grow.C. They provide shelter in forests where animals can hide.D. They use sunlight to make food for plants and animals.

20. What is a defining characteristic of the deciduous forest? (1.01)A. It has many pine trees.B. It has many mammals.C. It has many cacti that store water.D. It has many broad-leafed trees.

25. A class observed grasshoppers, frogs, mice, snakes, and owls in a grassy field. They are all part of the same food In the box below, draw a food web with four of these organisms. When drawing the food web, be sure to use the names of the four organisms and draw arrows to trace the energy flow among the organisms. (1.05)

26. Oak trees produce seeds that are contained in acorns. Blue jays eat the seeds in acorns. Blue jays also collect acorns and hide them in the ground, often far away from the parent oak tree. Blue jays do not eat the seed of every acorn they hide. How do oak trees benefit from blue jays’ collecting and hiding acorns? (1.05)A. The oak trees are pollinated by the blue jays.B. The oak trees are protected from other herbivores.C. The seeds of oak trees are protected from the sun.D. The seeds of oak trees are planted in new environments.

27. On the lines below, describe two ways that recycling paper conserves Earth’s resources. (1.07)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The diagram below shows the process of how trees are used to make paper. It also shows two ways to dispose of used paper.

Cut Trees

Transport Trees

Deliver trees to paper mill

Reduce trees to wood chips, wood chips and recycled paper to pulp, and pulp to paper

Deliver paper

Use and then throw away paper

Deposit trash in landfill Recycle Paper

28. How do humans affect the Carbon Cycle? (1.07)A. We swim in the ocean.B. We release chemicals into the air.C. We ride bikes which uses up our energy.D. We take out beneficial bacteria from the soil.

Answer Key

1. C 22. C2. C 23. D3. C 24. B4. B 25. Food Web Diagram5. C 26. D6. B 27. Short Answer7. D 28. B8. A9. C10. C11. A12. C13. B14. B15. D16. D17. A18. B19. C20. D21. A