Q1 Ecology
Q1 Ecology
1. The branch of biology dealing with interactions among organisms and between organisms
and their environment is called
a. economy.
b. modeling.
c. recycling.
d. ecology.
2. All of the members of a particular species that live in one area are called a(an)
a. biome.
b. population.
c. community.
d. ecosystem.
4. What is the original source of almost all the energy in most ecosystems?
a. carbohydrates
b. Sunlight
c. Water
d. Carbon
Figure 3-1
5. The algae at the beginning of the food chain in Figure 3-1 are
a. consumers.
b. decomposers.
c. producers.
d. heterotrophs.
6. An organism that uses energy to produce its own food supply from inorganic compounds is
called a(an)
a. heterotroph.
b. consumer.
c. detritivore.
d. autotroph.
9. Organisms that obtain nutrients by breaking down dead and decaying plants and animals
are called
a. decomposers.
b. omnivores.
c. autotrophs.
d. producers.
11. What is an ecological model of the relationships that form a network of complex
interactions among organisms in a community from producers to decomposers?
a. food web
b. an ecosystem
c. food chain
d. a population
13. Only 10 percent of the energy stored in an organism can be passed on to the next trophic
level. Of the remaining energy, some is used for the organism’s life processes, and the rest
is
a. used in reproduction.
b. stored as body tissue.
c. stored as fat.
d. eliminated as heat.
14. The repeated movement of water between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere is called
a. the water cycle.
b. the condensation cycle.
c. precipitation.
d. evaporation.
16. Carbon cycles through the biosphere in all of the following processes EXCEPT
a. photosynthesis.
b. transpiration.
c. burning of fossil fuels.
d. decomposition of plants and animals.
18. The movements of energy and nutrients through living systems are different because
a. energy flows in one direction and nutrients recycle.
b. energy is limited in the biosphere and nutrients are always available.
c. nutrients flow in one direction and energy recycles.
d. energy forms chemical compounds and nutrients are lost as heat.
23. Which is a biotic factor that affects the size of a population in a specific ecosystem?
a. average temperature of the ecosystem
b. type of soil in the ecosystem
c. number and kinds of predators in the ecosystem
d. concentration of oxygen in the ecosystem
24. During a long period when there is no rainfall, a mountain lion may temporarily leave its
usual hunting territory to drink from a farm pond. This behavior is probably due to
a. its need to find different foods to eat.
b. the change in an abiotic factor in its environment.
c. its need to find a new habitat.
d. the change in a biotic factor in its environment.
27. An interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism is called
a. competition.
b. sybiosis.
c. mutualism.
d. predation.
28. No two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time
a. because of the interactions that shape the ecosystem.
b. unless the species require different abiotic factors.
c. because of the competitive exclusion principle.
d. unless the species require different biotic factors.
30. The symbiotic relationship between a flower and the insect that feeds on its nectar is an
example of
a. mutualism because the flower provides the insect with food, and the
insect pollinates the flower.
b. parasitism because the insect lives off the nectar from the flower.
c. commensalism because the insect does not harm the flower and the
flower does not benefit from the relationship.
d. predation because the insect feeds on the flower.
31. The series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time is called
a. population growth.
b. ecological succession.
c. climax community.
d. climate change.
34. A biome is identified by its particular set of abiotic factors and its
a. average precipitation and temperature.
b. characteristic ecological community.
c. distance from the equator.
d. specific geographical location.
39. In a logistic growth curve, exponential growth is the phase in which the population
a. reaches carrying capacity.
b. grows quickly and few animals are dying.
c. growth begins to slow down.
d. growth stops.
40. A biotic or an abiotic resource in the environment that causes population size to decrease is
a
a. carrying capacity.
b. limiting nutrient.
c. limiting factor.
d. growth factor.
42. If a population grows larger than the carrying capacity of the environment, the
a. death rate may rise.
b. birthrate may rise.
c. death rate must fall.
d. birthrate must fall.
45. A disease resulting in the deaths of one-third of a dense population of bats in a cave would
be a
a. density-dependent limiting factor.
b. result of exponential growth.
c. density-independent limiting factor.
d. nutrient-limiting factor.