Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Ecology Expert
Event Leader Instructions
This is a station event. Please print station in color. There are 10 stations. If you have
more than 10 teams, print a second set of stations. If you only need a couple more
stations, place a couple of rest stations in between stations.
Station 2 includes pictures that need to be cut apart and labeled A –G for the students.
Station 5 includes a Leech and a shell with Barnacles, if you have a model, set it out, but
there are pictures in the test as well.
Station 10 Has tadpole/frog models and some oyster shells, if you have them, please set
them out, if not, there are pictures in the test.
Set up the room to accommodate a rotation. Teams will have 4 minutes per station.
Tiebreakers are as follows, the first team to get an answer right wins the tie: 7, 42, 11,
48, 19, 10, 33
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 1
Use the diagram above to answer the following questions.
1. Name a producer in this ecosystem.
2. Name a decomposer in this ecosystem.
3. The Arctic hare is very important to this ecosystem. Name 2 animals that rely
on it for food.
4. How many top-level consumers are in this food web?
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 2
5. Look at the pictures at this station. Which of these things belongs in
an estuary? Write all the letters for things that belong on your
answer sheet.
6. Do estuaries have a higher or lower salinity than the ocean?
7. Which of these is NOT a function of an estuary?
a. Nursery for marine animals
b. Habitat for plants and animals.
c. Good place for dumping pollution
d. Good source of fishing
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 2 pictures
A
B
C
D
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
E
F
G
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 3
The picture below shows a climograph for arctic tundra. The right y-axis is
average temperature and is graphed with the white line. The left y-axis is
average rainfall and is graphed with the bar graph. The bottom x-axis shows
the months of the year.
8. Which month(s) is(are) the wettest?
9. Which month has the lowest average temperature?
10. What was the monthly temperature for November?
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 4 – page 1
11. In which state would you find an example of an arctic tundra?
A: South Dakota
B: Washington
C: Alaska
D. Maine
12. Which ecosystem is most like an arctic tundra concerning average
annual precipitation?
A: rainforest
B: desert
C: prairie
D: swamp
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 4 – page 2
13. What is the name of the layer above the permafrost that thaws
during the summer?
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
Sub-permafrost
Tempafrost
Loam
Humus
Active layer
14. If you were to dig down through the snow in Antarctica, would
you eventually hit land or sea water?
15. If you were to dig down through the snow at the North pole,
would you eventually hit land or sea water?
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 5 – page 1
Match the type of symbiosis with the correct picture or description below. Write the
letter only on your answer sheet.
A. Mutualism
B. Parasitism
C. Commensalism
16.
Barnacles adhere to the shell of a mollusk.
The barnacle is transported by the mollusk to new
sources of food and the presence of barnacle
populations does not appear to hamper or enhance
the survival of the animals carrying them.
17.
Mistletoe relies on the Silver Birch tree
mainly for the water and the mineral nutrients it
carries. It can eventually prove fatal to the Birch
where infestation is heavy, though damage more
commonly only results in growth reduction.
18. Bees fly from flower to flower gathering nectar,
which they make into food. When they land in a
flower, the bees get some pollen on their hairy
bodies, and when they land in the next flower, some
of the pollen from the first one rubs off, pollinating
the plant.
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 5 – page 2
Match the type of symbiosis with the correct picture or below. Write the letter only on
your answer sheet.
A. Mutualism
B. Parasitism
C. Commensalism
A cleaning station on a coral reef
where fish and other marine life
congregate each morning to be
cleaned of parasites, dead skin cells,
and bacteria by smaller fish.
19.
The Freshwater Leech feeds on the
blood of fish, frogs, turtles, and
mammals.
20.
21.
The caribou digs into the
ground snow looking for food,
it digs up the soil and brings
closer to the surface some of
the mammals living
underground, then the arctic
fox follows it and digs deeper
and eats these mammals.
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 6 – page 1
The following is a list of adaptations that land animals need to survive in the Arctic. Write a sentence
explaining the benefit this adaptation provides to the Arctic animal.
22. wide, pad-like feet. The picture is an example of caribou(reindeer) feet -
23. blubber, or layers of brown fat -
24. white feathers or fur. The picture is an example of winter and summer fur in an Arctic fox.
25. hibernation -
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 7 - page 1
Identify which type of environment is best described by each of the following
statements: (write the correct letter on the answer sheet).
A. Coral Reef
B. Estuary
C. Swamp
D. Arctic Ocean
E. Arctic Tundra
26. The temperature ranges from 20°C to 28°C
27. Treeless region dominated by cold, windy, dry climate
28. Formed by living stony polyps and red and green algae
29. Place were freshwater flows into a sea
30. Known for great biodiversity
31. Wetland dominated by woody plants
32. Protected from ocean waves, winds and storms by reefs, barrier
islands, etc.
33. Located in light yellow highlighted areas of this map:
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 7 - page 2
Identify which type of environment is best described by each of the following
statements: (write the correct letter on the answer sheet).
A. Coral Reef
B. Estuary
C. Swamp
D. Arctic Ocean
E. Arctic Tundra
34. Located in the red highlighted areas of this map:
35. Located in the red highlighted areas of this map:
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 8
Match the predator with the correct prey for its biome
36. Whitetip Sharks
a. krill
37. Arctic Fox
b. reef fish
38. Humpback Whale
c. ringed seal
39. Polar Bear
d. lemming
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 9
1
2
3
4
This is a diagram for an ocean biome. Use this picture to help answer the
questions on this page (use numbers instead of organism names when
necessary).
40.
Which species have a predator-prey relationship?
41.
Which species are the biggest?
42.
The zooplankton (3) are _________________.
A. herbivores
43.
B. carnivores
C. omnivores
If you were to count each organism in the ocean, which level above
would have the highest number of organisms?
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 10 – page 1
Answer this station’s questions about the provided specimen.
44. What is the name of this organism?
45. Which ecosystem does this specimen live in: marine, freshwater
or arctic?
46. List an abiotic factor within its environment that this organism
must deal with to survive.
47. Is this organism a producer, consumer or decomposer?
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 10 – page 2
48. Which ecosystem does these specimens live in: marine,
freshwater or arctic?
49. Are these organisms producers, consumers, or decomposers?
50. List a biotic factor that these specimens must adapt to.
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Ecology Expert 2014
School Name ___________________________________ V JV JV1 JV2 JV3
Student Names ____________________________________________________
Station 1
Station 4
1. ________________
11. _____
2. ________________
12. _____
3. A. _________________
13. _____
B. _________________
4. _______
14. ___________
15. ___________
Station 2
5. ______________________
Station 5
6. _______________
16. _____
7. ______
17. _____
Station 3
18. _____
8. _____________________
19. _____
9. _____________________
20. _____
10. ____________________
21. _____
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 6
22. ____________________________________________________________
23. ____________________________________________________________
24. ____________________________________________________________
25. ____________________________________________________________
Station 7
Station 8
Station 10
26. _____
36. _______
44. ____________________
27. _____
37. _______
45. ___________________
28. _____
38. _______
46. ___________________
29. _____
39. _______
47. ___________________
30. _____
48. ___________________
31. _____
Station 9
49. ___________________
32. _____
40. _______
50. ___________________
33. _____
41. _______
34. _____
42. _______
35. _____
43. _______
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Ecology Expert 2014
School Name _______KEY_________ V JV JV1 JV2 JV3
Student Names _______EACH ANSWER WORTH 1 POINT__________________
Station 1
Station 4
1. GRASS/SEDGE/SAXIFRAGE/WILLOW
11. C__
(ANY 1)
12. __B__
2. _BLOWFLIES__
13. _E__
3. ANY 2 IN ANY ORDER:
14. __LAND____
A. HAWK/GYRFALCON/OWL
15. _SEAWATER___
B.WOLF/FOX/ERMINE/FLEAS
4. _4___
Station 5
Station 2
16. _C__
5. ANY ORDER: A,B,D,F,G
17. _B__
6. _LOWER___
18. _A__
7. _C__
19. _A__
Station 3
20. _B__
8. _JULY & AUGUST___
21. _C__
9. _JANUARY________
10. __-10OF__________
Ecology Expert 2014
Elementary NCSO
Station 6
22. LARGE FEET ARE GOOD FOR TRACTION IN THE ICE & SNOW
23. HELPS KEEP ANIMALS WARM & PROVIDE ENERGY
24. CAMOFLAGUE HELPS THEM HIDE FROM PREDATORS AND PREY
25. SLOWS DOWN METABOLISM DURING MONTHS WITH LITTLE FOOD
Station 7
Station 8
Station 10
26. _B OR C__
36. __B___
44. _TADPOLE OR FROG___
27. _E__
37. __D___
45. _FRESHWATER___
28. _A__
38. __A___
29. _B__
39. __C___
46. ANY ONE: TEMP, LIGHT,
WATER, POLLUTION
47. _CONSUMER__
30. _A__
31. _C__
Station 9
32. _B__
40. 1&2 OR 2&3
33. _D__
41. _1__
34. _B__
42. _A___
35. _A__
43. _4___
48. _MARINE____
49. __CONSUMERS_____
50. _PREDATORS, OR FOOD
SOURCE