5th grade ecosystems and food chains

Question 1

Here is a woodland food web. (An arrow points from the food to the animal that eats it.) oak tree → caterpillar grass → rabbit oak tree → mouse grass → mouse caterpillar → blue tit rabbit → fox mouse → fox mouse → owl blue tit → owl Which of these does the fox eat?

• A. blue tit
• B. owl
• C. caterpillar
• D. rabbit

Question 2

Sea otters eat sea urchins, and sea urchins eat kelp. Hunters remove most otters. What happens to the kelp forest?

• A. Nothing changes.
• B. The urchins disappear.
• C. The kelp grows faster.
• D. Urchins increase and eat much of the kelp.

Question 3

Here is an ocean food web. (An arrow points from the food to the animal that eats it.) phytoplankton → zooplankton kelp (seaweed) → sea urchin zooplankton → herring sea urchin → sea otter herring → seal seal → orca herring → orca A disease kills most of the herring. Which animal loses one of its foods?

• A. sea urchin
• B. orca
• C. zooplankton
• D. sea otter

Question 4

Here is an ocean food web. (An arrow points from the food to the animal that eats it.) phytoplankton → zooplankton kelp (seaweed) → sea urchin zooplankton → herring sea urchin → sea otter herring → seal seal → orca herring → orca Which of these is a producer?

• A. orca
• B. sea otter
• C. phytoplankton
• D. sea urchin

Question 5

A lion never eats plants. Where did the energy in its food originally come from?

• A. the ground
• B. the Moon
• C. the lion's own body
• D. the Sun, captured by plants that its prey ate

Question 6

Decomposers: which statement is NOT true?

• A. Fungi and bacteria are decomposers.
• B. Decomposition is faster when it is warm and moist.
• C. Fungi are plants.
• D. Matter is recycled in an ecosystem.

Question 7

True or false? All the energy in grass passes to the cow that eats it.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 8

Which of these is a decomposer?

• A. mushroom (fungus)
• B. oak tree
• C. hawk
• D. rabbit

Question 9

True or false? More predators always means more prey.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 10

What is a likely knock-on effect: warmer seas bleach coral reefs?

• A. rabbit numbers rise and more grass is eaten
• B. reef fish lose food and shelter
• C. birds that eat small fish have less food
• D. insect-eating birds have less food

Question 11

Is a sunflower a producer, a consumer or a decomposer?

• A. producer
• B. consumer
• C. decomposer

Question 12

Here is a woodland food web. (An arrow points from the food to the animal that eats it.) oak tree → caterpillar grass → rabbit oak tree → mouse grass → mouse caterpillar → blue tit rabbit → fox mouse → fox mouse → owl blue tit → owl Which of these does the blue tit eat?

• A. oak tree
• B. rabbit
• C. caterpillar
• D. fox

Question 13

Why is a food web with many links more stable than a single food chain?

• A. Webs need no producers.
• B. Webs have fewer animals.
• C. Chains are always longer.
• D. If one food runs short, animals can eat something else.

Question 14

Here is an ocean food web. (An arrow points from the food to the animal that eats it.) phytoplankton → zooplankton kelp (seaweed) → sea urchin zooplankton → herring sea urchin → sea otter herring → seal seal → orca herring → orca A disease kills most of the seal. Which animal loses one of its foods?

• A. sea urchin
• B. orca
• C. sea otter
• D. zooplankton

Question 15

Here is a woodland food web. (An arrow points from the food to the animal that eats it.) oak tree → caterpillar grass → rabbit oak tree → mouse grass → mouse caterpillar → blue tit rabbit → fox mouse → fox mouse → owl blue tit → owl Which of these is a producer?

• A. oak tree
• B. blue tit
• C. caterpillar
• D. mouse