Download Populations of Rodents, Birds, and Rattlesnakes

Environmental Science – Test 1, Review Questions
YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR VOCABULARY WORDS #1 – 15, THE 6
CHARACERISTICS OF ALL LIVING THINGS – AND UNDERSTAND THE
FOLLOWING:
Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. How does natural selection produce adaptations in a species?
2. What is an organism’s niche?
3. How do adaptations enable organisms to reduce competition for food and other
resources?
4. Define the terms predation, predator, and prey in your own words. Give an example of a predatorprey relationship. Identify the predator and the prey.
5. Name and describe the three types of symbiotic relationships.
6. Define the term competition.
7. In 1997, a community decided to get rid of the population of rattlesnakes in the area. The
graph below shows what happened to the populations of rattlesnakes, birds, and rodents. (The
rodents included animals such as mice, rats, and prairie dogs.)
Populations of Rodents, Birds, and Rattlesnakes
Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
8. Did the bird populations appear to benefit from the elimination of the rattlesnakes? How do
you know?
9. Did the rodent populations appear to benefit from the elimination of the rattlesnakes? How
do you know?
10.What was the main source of food for the rattlesnakes? How can you tell?
11.Why do you think the bird populations decreased sharply after the rattlesnakes were
eliminated?
12.Do you think it was a good idea for the community to eliminate the rattlesnake population?
Explain your answer.
Using Science Skills
The table below shows the populations of mallard ducks, snapping turtles, and
raccoons living in and around a pond. Snapping turtles prey on ducklings.
Raccoons prey on duck eggs and turtle eggs.
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
Mallard ducks
47
52
48
50
55
62
52
Raccoons
20
22
24
23
8
4
9
Snapping turtles
5
6
5
8
15
24
12
Graphing On the graph above, plot the total populations of ducks,
turtles, and raccoons each year. Use a different color for each population.
Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
Interpreting Graphs In what year did a sudden change occur in the sizes
of all three populations? What happened to the size of each population?
Inferring What can you infer from the data about the types of interactions
between mallard ducks, raccoons, and snapping turtles? Explain your answer.
Essay
Answer each of the following items on a separate sheet of paper.
Analyzing What do you think caused the sudden change in the population
sizes you graphed in item 26 above? Explain your answer.
Extending Some prey species blend with their surroundings. Other prey
species are brightly colored. Explain why these different defenses help both
kinds of species to survive.