Content Benchmark L.12.C.2
Students know how changes in an ecosystem can affect biodiversity and biodiversity’s
contribution to an ecosystem’s stability. E/S
Sample Test Questions
1st Item Specification: Predict how changes in an ecosystem’s stability impact
biodiversity.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
1. Which of the following statements regarding predator/prey relationships is
MOST accurate?
A. There is no relationship between sizes of predator and prey populations.
B. The predator population is dependent on the prey population for survival.
C. The relationship centers on a carnivore eating a defenseless herbivore.
D. If a prey species is depleted, the predator will switch to another prey
species.
2. Biodiversity in an ecosystem is a measure of the
A. number and types of organisms.
B. climax community.
C. limiting factors that control the population.
D. predator/prey relationship.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
3. The following table lists the population size of six species in four different areas.
Area A
Area B
Area C
Area D
Species 1
20
0
0
40
Species 2
50
60
0
30
Species 3
70
80
20
80
Species 4
20
40
0
110
Species 5
20
20
0
0
Species 6
20
0
20
20
If these four areas are the only habitats where these organisms exist, which
species is most likely to be negatively impacted by changes in the environment?
A. Species 1
B. Species 3
C. Species 5
D. Species 6
4. The following table lists the population size of six species in four different areas.
Area 1
Area 2
Area 3
Area 4
Species A
20
0
0
40
Species B
50
60
0
30
Species C
70
80
20
80
Species D
20
40
0
110
Species E
20
20
0
0
Species F
20
0
20
20
Which of the following areas has the GREATEST biodiversity?
A. Area 1
B. Area 2
C. Area 3
D. Area 4
2nd Item Specification: Recognize that ecosystems change over time.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
5. The change in an ecosystem over time until a stable stage is reached is known as
A. competition.
B. homeostasis.
C. transpiration.
D. succession.
6. A lava field is bare for several years when lichens begin to grow on the rocks.
These are gradually replaced with grasses, shrubs, and finally trees. This process
is called
A. primary homeostasis.
B. secondary homeostasis.
C. primary succession.
D. secondary succession.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
7. The below diagram represents a change in an environment over time.
(Diagram modified from ExamGen 4.3)
Which of the following statements BEST describes the process taking place?
A. The community is increasing in complexity over time.
B. The evolution of a new species filling an empty niche.
C. The water cycle includes the absorption of water through the soil.
D. The path of energy is moving through a natural food chain
8. An area in the early stages of secondary succession would most likely be
dominated by
A. lichens.
B. grasses.
C. shrubs.
D. trees.
3rd Item Specification: Predict consequences of an environmental change.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
9. Acid rain, deforestation, and soil erosion are examples of
A. habitat fragmentation.
B. invasion of exotic species.
C. habitat degradation.
D. global warming.
10. This graph shows the population trends of five populations over one year.
A
Population
B
C
D
E
J
F
M
A M
J J
Time
A
S
O
N D
What happened to Population B over the year? The population showed
A. an increased over time, followed by a decrease.
B. a slight decrease in population over time resulting in extinction.
C. a dramatic decrease in population resulting in extinction.
D. a stable unchanging population over time.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
11. Which of the following types of animals will be MOST impacted by habitat
fragmentation?
A. Large predators and migratory animals
B. Large herbivores and large predators
C. Non-migratory animals and small herbivores
D. Migratory animals and large herbivores
12. This graph shows the population trends of five populations over time.
A
Population
B
C
D
E
J
F
M
A M
J J
Time
A
S
O
N D
Which of the following statements is the MOST plausible explanation for the
changes in population E?
A. Species E started eating species A because the increase in E occurs
concurrently with the decrease in A.
B. Individuals of species E immigrated into this habitat from the surrounding
areas.
C. The decline in B and D reduced the competition for resources resulting in
an increase in species E.
D. Species E moved into the niche previously occupied by species B resulting
in an increase in species E.
Content Benchmark L.12.C.2
Students know how changes in an ecosystem can affect biodiversity and biodiversity’s
contribution to an ecosystem’s stability. E/S
Answers to Sample Test Questions
1. B, DOK Level 1
2. A, DOK Level 1
3. C, DOK Level 2
4. A, DOK Level 2
5. D, DOK Level 1
6. C, DOK Level 1
7. A, DOK Level 2
8. B, DOK Level 2
9. C, DOK Level 1
10. C, DOK Level 1
11. A, DOK Level 2
12. C, DOK Level 2