Ecology Overview

Ecology Introduction

e·col·o·gy

/ēˈkäləjē/

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noun

the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

Multiple Choice

The study of the interactions between organisms and their environment is:

• Ecology

• Microbiology

• Biology

• Evolution

Multiple Choice

When members of the SAME species interact with one another they form a

• population

• community

• organism

• ecosystem

Multiple Choice

All living things in a given area, living and non-living.

• Ecosystem

• Biotic

• Community

• Species

Multiple Choice

The rabbits and squirrels in an area are a part of the same

• population

• community

Multiple Choice

Groups of rabbits that live in the same area make up a

• species

• population

Multiple Choice

Which of the following has the levels of organization in order from smallest to largest?

• Biosphere, Ecosystem, Community, Population, Species, Organism

• Organism, Species, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere

• Organism, Species, Community, Population, Ecosystem, Biosphere

• Biosphere, Ecosystem, Community, Population, Organism, Species

Multiple Choice

The non-living parts of the environment such as rocks, air, temperature, sunlight, and water

• Abiotic

• Biotic

• Habitat

• Community

Multiple Choice

The living or once living organisms in an ecosystem

• Biology

• Abiotic

• Biotic

• Ecology

Vocabulary

• Biotic vs Abiotic

• Population

• Community

• Ecosystem

• Autotroph vs Heterotroph

• Habitat vs Niche

Review of Biotic vs. Abiotic

Multiple Select

Below is a list of factors in an ecosystem. Select all the abiotic factors.

• Shelter

• Water

• Protists

• Sunlight

• Prokaryotes

Multiple Choice

If a scientist in New Zealand was studying how a group of herbivores interacted with a group of omnivores, and all of their abiotic surroundings, what level of ecology would she be studying?

• Community

• Population

• Species

• Ecosystem

• Biome

Multiple Choice

Which of the following scenario best describes an ecosystem?

• A pack of wolves that live in the same area

• A single protist

• Rabbits hopping around trees burrowing through soil

• Birds, mice, and trees inhabiting the same area

Multiple Choice

The most important abiotic factors when studying biomes are...

• Food and Water

• Water and Sunlight

• Temperature and Oxygen

• Water and Temperature

Multiple Choice

Which biome is characterized by low temperatures and low amounts of rainfall?

• tundra

• desert

• temperate deciduous forest

• tropical rain forest

Multiple Choice

Which biome receives between 0 to 25 centimeters of rain per year, has a temperature range of 0 to 50 degrees Celsius, has poor soil, and is home to lizards, scorpions, and snakes?

• desert
• mountain
• taiga
• tundra

Multiple Choice

Which biome, because of its climate, has the largest number of species of plants and animals?

• tundra
• desert
• tropical rainforest
• pine forest

Predator-Prey Relationship

• A predator is an organism that eats another organism.

• The prey is the organism which the predator eats.

• Predator and prey often coevolve together.

Multiple Choice

An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

• Predator

• Prey

• Competition

• Adaptation

Multiple Choice

What ecological relationship is depicted between Pumba (warthog) and the bugs?

• Competition, because pumba is in competition with the bugs for food sources

• Mutualistic, because Pumba and the bugs benefit each other

• Predator-Prey, because Pumba is a predator that consumes bug as prey

Multiple Choice

Marlin and his son, Nemo, are clownfish that live in a sea anemone. Clownfish benefit by receiving protection and shelter from the sea anemone. The clownfish, in return, scares away predators of the sea anemone and provides nutrients for the sea anemone through its excrement (waste). The symbiotic relationship between Nemo and the sea anemone is known as -

• parasitism

• commensalism

• predator-prey

• competition

• mutualism

Multiple Choice

The pearlfish receives protection from predators by living inside a sea cucumber. The sea cucumber is not affected during this interaction. This ecological relationship is known as -

• predator-prey because the pearlfish is prey to the sea cucumber

• mutualism because only the pearlfish benefits in this ecological relationship

• parasitism because the pearlfish causes harm to the host sea cucumber

• commensalism because only the pearlfish benefits while the sea cucumber is not affected

• competition because the sea cucumber and pearlfish often fight for living space

Multiple Choice

A pair of red, male kangaroos are seen fighting over a potential mate. The ecological relationship between the two male kangaroos shown is -

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

• Predator-Prey

• Competition

Multiple Choice

Read the following scenario and determine which ecological relationship is depicted -

Mistle toe plants are common house decorations around the holidays. Mistle toes are plants that attach themselves to hosts such as a tree. Once attached, the mistletoes begin to tap into the vascular system of trees and draws out vital nutrients and water from the host tree. The host tree is harmed over time and may result in stunted growth.

• Predator-Prey

• Parasitism

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

Multiple Choice

A feeder fish usually follows behind sharks to pick up food scraps that they leave behind. The fish gets food and the shark is unaffected. This is an example of:

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Parasitism

• Decomposition

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is true about competition?

• Controls population size

• Ensures everyone eats

• Keeps everyone happy

• Is only between 2 men

Multiple Choice

______________ occurs when more than one individual or population tries to use the same limited resource.

• Niche

• Predator-prey

• Availability

• Competition

Multiple Choice

A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.

• mutualism

• parisitism

• symbiosis

• commensalism

Food Webs

• Be able to take organisms and construct an accurate food web

• Be able to accurately show the flow of energy throughout an ecosystem

Multiple Choice

What do the arrows in the food chain indicate about the flow of energy in an ecosystem?

• Energy is continuously recycled by the organisms in an ecosystem.

• Energy flows in one direction in an ecosystem, from producers to consumers.

• More of the available energy in an ecosystem is given to large animals than to small animals.

• Organisms at the end of the food chain receive more energy than those at the beginning.

Multiple Choice

How do consumers get their energy?

• laying in the sun

• eating other organisms

• providing food for other organisms

• surviving in an ecosystem

Multiple Choice

True or False. In this energy pyramid, the consumers on each level only get about 10 percent of energy that the trophic level before it has stored.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What might happen if you remove a primary consumer from the ecosystem?

• There would be more food for secondary consumers.

• The number of primary consumers would increase.

• The number of plants would increase.

• The number of secondary consumers would increase.

Multiple Choice

If a disease destroying barley plants in a field swept through an ecosystem, what would happen to the barley eating bird population in the the field ?

• The bird population would stay the same
• The bird population would infinitely increase
• The bird population would decrease

Multiple Choice

What makes an energy pyramid different than a food web or chain?

• It shows energy flowing from the top of the chain and downward.

• The tropic levels are the opposite

• It shows the amount of energy in each trophic level

• It shows specific predator/prey relationships

Multiple Choice

In this energy pyramid, what is the proper name for ANY ORGANISM ABOVE THE PRODUCER LEVEL?

• decomposers

• consumers

• producers

• omnivores

Carrying Capacity and Limiting Factors

• Carrying capacity (K) - the maximum population size that can be supported in a particular area without destroying the habitat.

• Limiting factors - resources or other factors in the environment that can lower the population growth rate. They determine the carrying capacity of a population.

Multiple Choice

What happens if a population grows past its carrying capacity?

• The population keeps growing

• The population starts to die off

• The entire species will go extinct

• The carrying capacity just increases

Multiple Choice

What valid conclusion can you draw about the total deer population from the graph shown?

• The total deer population increased gradually over time

• An increase of limiting factors occured in the year 1900

• A decline in food sources occured from years 1750-1900

Multiple Choice

A sample of bacteria was added to a culture dish containing a limited food supply. (Culture dishes are designed to help bacteria grow.) The dish was kept in an incubator for two weeks, where temperature that bacteria prefer to live in was kept constant. The graph to the right shows changes that occurred in the bacterial population over the two weeks.

Which statement provides the best explanation for the population increase then decrease?

• The bacteria were unable to reproduce until day 8.

• The bacteria ate all of the available food.

• The bacteria could not grow at all in the provided temperatures.

• The bacteria could not grow at all with the provided food type.

Quick Review

Multiple Choice

What are the abiotic factors in this image? 

• water, sunlight, dirt, air
• birds and plants
• water, plants, and birds 

Multiple Choice

What are the biotic factors in this image?

• sunlight, elephants, and grasses
• sunlight, water,  and air
• elephants, plants, trees 

Multiple Choice

The study of the interactions between organisms and their environment is:

• Ecology

• Microbiology

• Biology

• Evolution