5th Grade Ecosystems Test
Name_______________________
Date_____________
1. Which of the following gases do plants use
to do photosynthesis? (1.04)
A. hydrogen
B. nitrogen
C. carbon dioxide
D. carbon monoxide
The diagram below shows a simple food web.
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 shape
B. light
C. plant price
D. flower color
5. Which location on Earth receives the most
direct sunlight? (1.04)
A. North Carolina
B. The South Pole
C. The Equator
D. The Western Hemisphere
2. Which animal is classified as an herbivore? (1.02)
A. frog
B. fox
C. snail
D. 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. Snail
B. Deer
C. Worm
D. Bird
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.
7. A strip of land is cleared of trees and bushes to make
space for a power line. What impact might this have on birds
living 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 areas
B. In the oceanic trench
C. In the deep sea
D. On the beach
9. Which of these natural resources is a source of lumber
for home building? (1.07)
A. Oil
B. Coal
C. Trees
D. Grasses
10. Which is the best example of two organisms having
a mutualistic relationship? (1.05)
A. A tick and a dog
B. A sea anemone and a clown fish
C. A tapeworm and a human
D. 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. Food
B. Water
C. Shelter
D. Sunlight
13. Which of these would best
complete this food chain? (1.05)
A. Hawks
B. Mice
C. Bacteria
D. Fungi
14. Which diagram shows how energy flows through a
food chain? (1.05)
A. Producers -> Carnivores -> Herbivores
B. Sun -> Producers -> Herbivores -> Carnivores
C. Sun -> Carnivores -> Producers -> Consumers
D. 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 levels
B. a decrease in the nitrogen levels
C. an increase in the algae population
D. a decrease in the algae population
17. Which organisms are producers? (1.02)
A. oak tree
B. frogs
C. insects
D. 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 Earth
B. an increase in the number of plants living on Earth
C. a reduction in the variety of organisms living on Earth
D. an increase in the number of arctic ecosystems on
Earth
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.
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. Snail
B. Sunfish
C. Butterfly
D. 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.
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)
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
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.
Recycle Paper
27. On the lines below, describe two ways that
recycling paper conserves Earth’s resources. (1.07)
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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
2. C
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. D
8. A
9. C
10. C
11. A
12. C
13. B
14. B
15. D
16. D
17. A
18. B
19. C
20. D
21. A
22. C
23. D
24. B
25. Food Web Diagram
26. D
27. Short Answer
28. B