Interim 3 Study Guide:
1. The white-tailed deer found in North Carolina are herbivores. What will most likely happen to the deer if there is a
drought and most of the plant life dies? The deer population will decrease
2. What are abiotic and biotic environmental factors? Abiotic factors are things in the environment that are not
living. Biotic factors are things in the environment that are living.
3. The diagram to the left shows a food web for a forest ecosystem.
Which organism would be negatively affected by an increase in the
beetle population? grass
4. What is carrying capacity? The amount of living things a specific
area can hold.
5. Two hundred rabbits and fifty foxes live in a certain meadow without damaging the meadow. A disease in the last
year killed over half of the foxes living in the meadow. Explain how the change to the fox population will most likely
affect the rabbit population. Identify how the new rabbit population will impact the grasses growing in the meadow.
The rabbit population will rise, and the grass population will decrease due to this change.
6.
The diagram above shows the feeding relationships between six organisms. Which organisms would most likely
compete for food resources? R and S
7. The vampire finches in the Galápagos Islands peck at iguanas until the finches make a wound. Then, the finches
drink the iguana's blood. Scientists think that many generations ago finches used to peck bugs off the iguanas, and the
behavior evolved to what it is today. Which statement best describes the finches' relationship to the iguanas
generations ago and the relationship today? The old relationship was mutualistic, the new one is parasitic.
8. In a completely cooperative relationship, each organism benefits equally. List these relationships in order of
increasing cooperativeness: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, predation. Predation, parasitism, commensalism,
and mutualism.
9. Birds are often seen with cattle in a pasture. The feeding cattle stir up insects and the birds eat the insects. How
would this relationship be described? The cattle have a good effect on the birds, but the cattle are not affected.
10. What are parasitic relationships? Mutualistic? Commensalistic?
Parasitic: host is harmed, parasite is happy
Mutualism: both animals benefit
Commensalism: one animal benefits, the other isn’t affected
11. Describes the relationship between decomposers and producers. Producers absorb nutrients from decomposed
material in the soil.
12. What is the role of plants in the carbon cycle? In the water cycle? Plants take in excess carbon, and water
evaporates from plants through transpiration.
13. What consume energy from dead organisms? Scavengers, fungi, and bacteria
14. What is the role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the flow of energy? They convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into
molecules that other organisms can use.
15. Describe how energy from the sun relates to the energy a cow gets from eating grass in a field. The grass uses
energy from the sun to make food, the cow eats the grass and breaks it down to release energy for the cow.
16. What are renewable and nonrenewable energy sources?
Renewable: can be used again. Examples: wind, hydroelectricity, geothermal, biomass, solar
Nonrenewable: cannot be used again, once it is gone it is gone! Examples: fossil fuel, oil, coal
17. What renewable energy source is considered to be an important source of energy worldwide, but may impact
plant growth? biomass
18. What methods of energy production are most likely to have a negative impact upon the environment? Coals and
fossil fuels
19. Why is it important to limit the use of fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas? Fossil fuels can only be replenished
after millions of years.
20. Upwelling brings what type of water to marine ecosystems near the surface? Cold, nutrient-rich waters
21. What percentage represents the amount of freshwater on Earth? 3%
22. Where does most fresh water exist? Aquifers, ice caps and glaciers
23. Rivers and streams transport nutrients, salts, sediments, and pollutants. Put these terms in the correct order for
this process: ocean, watershed, estuary. Watershed->estuaries->oceans
24. Why are aquifers important? It holds uncontaminated water that we can drink
25. What is the largest ocean zone? oceanic
26. Why do plant plankton not grow in the deep ocean? There is not enough sunglight
27. Light does not reach the bottom of the ocean, yet certain species live there. Explain how species on the bottom of
the ocean get energy to live. Through chemosynthesis from hydrothermal vents
28. Why are estuaries an important habitat for many marine organisms in comparison to the open ocean? There are
more nutrients available in estuaries
29. A cargo ship in the open ocean spills thousands of gallons of oil off the ship. Which marine ecosystem/zone will
primarily be disturbed by this spill? Photic zone
30. What are the raw materials (reactants) for photosynthesis? Carbon dioxide and water (CO2 and H2O)
Good Luck! You Can Do It!