1. Arrange students into groups. Each group needs at least ONE person who has a mobile device.
2. If their phone camera doesn't automatically detect and decode QR codes, ask students to
4. Cut them out and place them around your class / school.
1. Give each group a clipboard and a piece of paper so they can write down the decoded questions and their answers to them.
2. Explain to the students that the codes are hidden around the school. Each team will get ONE point for each question they correctly decode and copy down onto their sheet, and a further TWO points if they can then provide the correct answer and write this down underneath the question.
3. Away they go! The winner is the first team to return with the most correct answers in the time available. This could be within a lesson, or during a lunchbreak, or even over several days!
4. A detailed case study in how to set up a successful QR Scavenger Hunt using this tool can be found here.
Question | Answer |
| 1. This biome contains plants that are adapted to prevent water loss due to the low average rainfall and high temperatures year-round. A. Savanna B. Boreal forest C. Tropical rainforest D. Desert | D. Desert | 2. This biome has the highest net primary productivity, in part because of consistently warm temperatures and abundant sunlight. A. Temperate grassland B. Taiga C. Tropical rainforest D. Tundra | C. Tropical rainforests | 3. Which of the following statements is true of aquatic biomes? A. Freshwater and marine biomes are evenly distributed on Earth. B. Freshwater biomes are a vital source of drinking water. C. Freshwater biomes supply a greater portion of Earth’s oxygen than marine biomes. D. Marine biomes include streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. | B. Freshwater biomes are a vital source of drinking water | 4. The underlying subsoil of this biome is permafrost, which prevents both water draining through and deep rooted plants from growing. Additionally, there is very little precipitation per year. A. Temperate grassland B. Taiga C. Tropical rainforest D. Tundra | D. Tundra | 5. The thick forest of this biome tends to be well adapted to short growing seasons. A. Temperate grassland B. Taiga C. Tropical rainforest D. Tundra | B. Taiga | 6. Which of the following biomes is best characterized as an area that forms the narrow band along the coast that experiences a range of environmental conditions (including daily changes in sunlight, temperature, and water)? A. Open ocean B. Lakes C. Coral reefs D. Intertidal zones | D. Intertidal zones | 7. Which of the following best describes gross primary productivity in an ecosystem? A. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of energy captured by producers plus the energy used by consumers over time. B. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of energy captured by producers minus the energy that producers respire over time. C. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of energy lost as heat during energy transfer between trophic levels. D. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of solar energy captured by producers through photosynthesis over time. | D. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of solar energy captured by producers through photosynthesis over time. | 8. Which of the following best describes the net primary productivity of an ecosystem? A. Net primary productivity is the amount of energy captured by producers through photosynthesis over time. B. Net primary productivity is the amount of energy lost by producers through respiration over time. C. Net primary productivity is the amount of energy lost through respiration by producers subtracted from the gross primary productivity of an ecosystem. D. Net primary productivity is the amount of energy lost through respiration by producers added to the gross primary productivity of an ecosystem. | C. Net primary productivity is the amount of energy lost through respiration by producers subtracted from the gross primary productivity of an ecosystem. | 9. In a given ecosystem, producers convert solar energy into 15,000 kcal of chemical energy stored in organic compounds. Which of the following is the most likely amount of energy available to secondary consumers? A. 1.5 kcal B. 150 kcal C. 1,500 kcal D. 13,500 kcal | B. 150 kcal | 10. Which of the following best describes the movement of energy in an ecosystem? A. Energy is constantly recycled by decomposers for use by producers. B. Energy is harnessed by producers, and available energy decreases with each trophic level transfer. C. Energy is absorbed by plants through water and soil and then moves up the food chain through consumers. D. Energy is magnified as it moves up the trophic levels, and tertiary consumers store the most energy in a food web. | B. Energy is harnessed by producers, and available energy decreases with each trophic level transfer. | 11. Five different species of warblers, seed-eating birds, live in the same species of conifer trees. All of the birds migrate to coniferous forests during the summer, and different species reside in different areas in the same tree. They feed on the seeds of the conifer trees, but the different species do not mate with each other. Which of the following best explains why the different warbler species can all have habitats in the same conifer trees? A. Not all the warblers are residents in the forest at the same time of the year because of different migration patterns. B. Physiological differences in beak structure allow the warblers to consume different species of seeds through symbiotic relationships. C. Resource partitioning of the seeds reduces competition, and the five different species can live in the same tree. D. Niche overlap occurs between the five different species, and living in the same tree increases competition for seeds. | C. Resource partitioning of the seeds reduces competition, and the five different species can live in the same tree. | 12. Where is the majority of freshwater found on Earth? A. Groundwater B. Ice caps and glaciers C. Lakes D. Oceans | B. Ice caps and glaciers | 13. Primary producers in a lake ecosystem store approximately 25,000 kcal/m2/yr of energy in their biomass. Which of the following identifies the most likely amount of energy available to a tertiary consumer in this ecosystem? A. 25 kcal/m2/yr B. 250 kcal/m2/yr C. 2,500 kcal/m2/yr D. 25,000 kcal/m2/yr | A. 25 kcal/m2/yr | 14. This biome is characterized by long dry seasons and is dominated by grasses, shrubs, and grazing animals. A. Savanna B. Boreal forest C. Tropical rainforest. D. Desert | A. Savanna | 15. The snowshoe hare (a member of the rabbit family) is the primary prey for the Canadian lynx. The Canadian lynx is a wild feline that is slightly larger than a bobcat. Scientists plan to investigate the relative sizes of the hare and the lynx populations over a 3-year period. Based on predator-prey dynamics, which of the following identifies the hypothesis most likely to be supported by the study? A. A decrease in the lynx population size will lead to a decrease in the hare population size. B. A decrease in the hare population size will lead to an increase in the lynx population size. C. An increase in the lynx population size will lead to a decrease in the hare population size. D. An increase in the hare population size will lead to a decrease in the lynx population size. | C. An increase in the lynx population size will lead to a decrease in the hare population size. | 16. In a fish species, the number of eggs that hatch and survive for one year varies depending on the number of eggs that were produced. As the number of eggs produced increases past a threshold number, the survival rate of the offspring decreases. Which of the following statements best explains why only a limited number of offspring can survive in a fish population? A. Resource partitioning allows similar species to coexist in the same ecological community. B. The number of fish surviving after one year is proportional to the number of eggs produced. C. The chance of survival decreases when there is intraspecific competition for resources among surviving yearlings. D. More yearling fish survive beyond one year when there is an abundance of prey species present. | C. The chance of survival decreases when there is intraspecific competition for resources among surviving yearlings. | 17. Which of the following best describes a symbiotic relationship? A. Striped bass and bluefish eat the same variety of mackerel. B. Intestinal bacteria inhabit the gut of humans. C. Mountain lions feed on white-tailed deer. D. Marsupial animals carry their young in a pouch. | B. Intestinal bacteria inhabit the gut of humans. | 18. Which of the following best explains why terrestrial trophic pyramids usually do not have levels higher than tertiary consumers? A. Tertiary consumers are the largest organisms in an ecosystem and require the most space to survive. B. Plants can only perform photosynthesis during the day, so tertiary consumers cannot get enough energy from consuming plants. C. A large proportion of energy is lost as heat as it is transferred up the pyramid, so there is not enough energy available to support another level. D. Tertiary consumers are often indicator species and are the first to be affected by environmental disturbances. | C. A large proportion of energy is lost as heat as it is transferred up the pyramid, so there is not enough energy available to support another level. | 19. This biome is warm and wet, with little seasonal variation in temperature and frequent precipitation. A. Savanna B. Boreal forest C. Tropical rainforest D. Desert | C. Tropical rainforest | 20. Two bird species coexist by feeding on the same type of insects in different parts of a tree. One bird species hunts insects near the top of the tree. The other bird species hunts insects near the base of the tree. Which of the following concepts is demonstrated between the two bird species? A. Predator-prey B. Resource partitioning C. Mutualism D. Parasitism | B. Resource Partitioning |
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