Grade 9 Sustainable Ecosystems Unit Test
NAME:__________________________________
1) Create a concept map that illustrates your understanding of the following terms
and how they relate to sustainable ecosystems. (C)
a. Abiotic factors
b. Atmosphere
c. Biodiversity
d. Biomagnifications
e. Biosphere
f. Biotic factors
g. Carrying capacity
h. Cellular respiration
i. Ecosystem
j. Equilibrium
k. Hydrosphere
l. Limiting factors
m. Lithosphere
n. Photosynthesis
o. Population
p. Sustainability
2) Describe one abiotic factor and one biotic factor that could affect a population of
rabbits. (K)
3) What is the difference between a habitat and a niche? (K)
4) How do producers, consumers, and decomposers contribute to the nutrient cycle?
(K)
5) Snapping turtles eat frogs, frogs eat grasshoppers and grasshoppers eat grass. (C)
a. Construct and label a food chain using the information above
b. Add and label a decomposer to your diagram
c. Add and label a source of energy to your diagram
6) Write the word equation for: (K)
a. Photosynthesis
b. Cellular respiration
7) Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are complimentary processes. Explain. (T)
8) List and describe 3 types of symbiosis. (A)
9) Identify the following limiting factors as either abiotic or biotic: (K)
a. Strong winds blow the seeds of a dandelion into a lake. The seeds fail to
grow. _________________
b. A population of rabbits eats all of the available food, and their population
starts to drop dramatically. ____________________
c. A mosquito transfers a disease to a population of bears in the forest.
Many of the bears die. __________________
d. Plants fail to grow because it has not rained in weeks. ________________
e.
10) Suppose you had to create an imaginary animal and it’s predators are snakes and
bears. What adaptations would you give this animal to avoid being caught by
snakes and bears? Include an illustration. (A)
11) Pick any organism in your neighbourhood and explain how it has adapted to the
specific biotic and abiotic factors of that environment. (A)
12) Suppose a non-native snake was introduced into a rainforest. How would you
know if the snake was becoming an invasive species? (T)
13) Describe how crop rotation helps restore nitrogen to the soil. (K)
14) What is biomagnifications? Describe two examples of where this exists in
nature.
15) How might biodegradable materials help to reduce pollution? (A)
16) You just bought a new home and wish to start your own garden. How will you
determine the type of soil you are going to use? Why is this decision important
before planting your fruits and vegetables? (A)
17) What is the difference between endangered species and threatened species? (K)
18) What is a remedial action plan? Give one example. (K)
19) How does the Ontario Endangered Species Act work to protect at-risk species?
(K)
20) How can you as an individual have an impact on the way your municipal,
provincial, or national government takes care of ecosystems? (T)
21) (Long Answer) Write a letter to your municipal, provincial, or national
government stating a problem which you are concerned about and propose a
realistic plan of action. (C)
22) What are organisms that break down organic matter, returning nutrients to the
ecosystem for further growth, classified as?(K)
A) scavengers
B) decomposers
C) saprobes
D) producers
23) Which of the following best describes sustainable development? (K)
A) Using resources while ensuring they are abiotic
B) Using resources while ensuring they are bioitic
C) Using resources while ensuring they can be used by the current generation.
D) Using resources while ensuring they can be used by future generations.
24) Which of the following is seen as most controversial? (K)
A) Clear cutting forests
B) Residential forest usage
C) Replanting forests
D) Strip cutting forests
25) About how much energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next? (K)
A) 3%
B) 10%
C) 33%
D) 60%
26) A group of organisms of the same species that live and interact together is
referred to as a(n): (K)
A) biome
B) community
C) ecosystem
D) population
27) Which biome has the greatest biodiversity in Canada? (K)
A) tundra
B) boreal forest
C) temperate deciduous forest
D) grasslands
28) Which is the most fragile biome in Canada? (K)
A) tundra
B) boreal forest
C) temperate deciduous forest
D) grasslands
29) Which best describes global warming? (K)
A) a process that naturally occurs, making summers longer
B) a process that naturally makes the Earth warmer and is being increased by
human activity
C) a process that occurs as a result of human activity that makes ice melt
D) a process that occurs as a result of human activity that makes the Earth warmer
30) Biodiversity describes differences in the: (K)
A) abiotic environment
B) variety of organisms
C) sizes of populations
D) rates of reproduction
31) Use the food chain below to answer the next question. (K)
grass -----> beetle-----> spider -----> sparrow -----> hawk
Which population should have the largest biomass?
A) beetle
B) sparrow
C) spider
D) hawk