Level I

Science Basic Questions

Ch. 2 Sec 2.4

2.4 Changes to Ecosystem

LP1: Identify ways in which ecosystems naturally change.

1. State whether the following are True or False.

a. ______ Sudden natural changes include volcanic eruptions, forest fires and
floods.

b. ______ Forest fires caused by humans is an example of a natural change.

c. ______ Volcanic eruptions cause little change to an ecosystem.

d. ______ An ecosystem that develops after a natural disaster is usually very

different from the original one.

2. Fill in the blanks using the words from the box below.

dam natural disasters lava lodges

forest fires decades sudden rock

a. A volcanic eruption causes ________ and vast changes.

b. ________ destroys everything in its path, leaving only bare _______.

c. Natural disasters such as _______ are caused by lightening strikes.

d. ________ can destroy thousands of square kilometers of land.

e. It can take ________ for soil to reform after a volcano.

f. Beavers cut down trees to ________ streams and to build ________ where they
live and raise their young.
LP2: Recognize that human activities can cause changes to ecosystems and climate.

1. Fill in the blanks using the words from the box below.

environment temperature

resources carbon dioxide atmosphere

a. Humans use ________ and produce wastes when they change their _______ to
meet their needs.

b. Burning coal and oil causes ________ to accumulate in the air.

c. Carbon dioxide helps keep the Earth warm by trapping the heat from the sun in
the Earth’s ________.

d. Climate change includes changes in _________ and precipitation.

2. Circle the correct statement.

a. All of Earth has become warmer due to climate change.

b. All of Earth has become colder due to climate change.

c. Some parts of Earth have become warmer and some parts have become colder
due to climate change.

d. The temperature on Earth has stayed the same.

e. Too much carbon dioxide can cause temperatures on Earth to raise and cause
damage to ecosystems.

f. Both a and e are correct.

g. Both c and e are correct.

i. There are no correct answers.

3. Write N for natural disaster and H for caused by humans. Write B if it is possible that
is could be caused by both.

a. ______ cutting down trees

b. ______ volcanic eruptions

c. ______ forest fire

d. ______ sewage leaking into a river

e. ______ floods

f. ______ beavers damming streams

g. ______ ecosystems destroyed by a tsunami.

4. Changes to an ecosystem caused by humans can either be _________ or _________.

5. Write T for True and F for False.

a. ______ A forest fire or sewage leaking into a river would kill organisms but
food webs would not be disrupted.

b. ______ A forest fire or sewage leaking into a river would kill organisms and
food webs would be disrupted.

c. ______ Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere results in glaciers and
polar ice melting.

d. ______ The fossil record shows that climates have stayed the same as part of
Earth’s natural processes.
LP3: Identify causes of species extinction.

1. Match the following:

______ a. When all individuals 1. the species is extinct

of species die out
2. the environment changes and
______ b. Extinction can no longer meet their
needs
______ c. Species die out because 3. can be a natural process or
can be caused by human
activity
2. _________ is the destruction of natural ecosystems that provide homes to organisms.

3. What type of human activities cause habitat destruction ?

1. ______________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________

4. Fill in the blank.

a. Habitat destruction causes populations of many species to _________.

LP4: Identify resources being depleted.

1. Circle the correct answer.

The resources being depleted include

a. carbon dioxide, trees

b. water, sunlight

c. fossil fuels, metals

d. carbon dioxide, sunlight

2. Fill in the blanks.

fresh water trees depleted fossil fuels

a. _________ take billions of years to form.

b. Metals can / cannot be replaced.

c. _________ is being depleted because it cannot cycle back into the ground as
fast as its being used.

d. _________ can be replaced by planting new ones, but can become _________
if they are cut down faster than they grow.

3. Write T for True and F for False.

a. ______ Soil is a resource.

b. ______ Only some people on Earth need resources.

c. ______ There is nothing we can do to save resources.

d. ______ If fresh underground water is depleted, life in that area will not be
supported.

e. ______ When trees are cut down, soil can be washed away.

f. ______ Human population on Earth is decreasing rapidly.

LP5: Define population and identify causes of our pollution.

1. Pollution is ____________________________________________________.
2. Fill in the blanks.

chemicals coal

air acid rain pollution

a. The burning of fossil fuels is a major source of __________.

b. Motor vehicles, factories and power plants all burn _________ and oil.

c. The _________ that form from burning coal and oil are released into the
_________.

d. These chemicals cause breathing problems and are the primary cause of
_________.

3. Explain how acid rain is produced.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. Write down two effects of acid rain.

1. __________________

2. __________________

LP6: Identify causes of water, soil and land pollution.

1. Fill in the blanks.

chemicals oceans pollutes

water landfills

a. Water is polluted when chemicals are dumped into _________.

b. Oil pollutes _________ when oil tankers leak.

 c. ________ are areas designated for disposing of solid waste.

2. True or False

a. ______ Soil can cause water pollution when it washes into river.

b. ______ Food webs can be disrupted when water is polluted.

c. ______ When soil is polluted, species tend to increase.

d. ______ Acid rain pollutes soil.

e. ______ Polluted soil will not affect plants.

3. Choose the incorrect answer.

a. Land pollution is caused by the improper dumping of waste.

b. Landfills are designated areas for waste disposal.

c. Solid wastes include old TVs, tires, other garbage.

d. Paint, batteries and household chemical need to be disposed in special places.

e. Paint, batteries and household chemicals are not hazardous to our health.