Ecology in Biology

Ecology Introduction

e·col·o·gy

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 in limiting factors occurred in the year 1900

• A decline in food sources occurred 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

Multiple Choice

An individual belonging to a specific species

• Biotic
• Community
• Organism
• Reptile

Multiple Choice

All of the living and nonliving things in an area that interact with each other are called a/an ______.

• community
• habitat
• population
• ecosystem

Multiple Choice

An area where an organism finds food, shelter and water in a specific arrangement

• niche
• biosphere
• biome
• habitat

Multiple Choice

Two or more members of a particular species living and interacting in the same area

• Community
• Population
• Organisms
• Biosphere

Multiple Choice

Different populations living and interacting with each other in the same area

• Biome
• Ecosystem
• Community
• Niche

Multiple Choice

Green plants are

• producers
• consumers
• herbivores
• omnivores

Multiple Choice

What is the original source of almost all energy in most ecosystems?

• carbohydrates
• sunlight
• water
• carbon

Multiple Choice

What is the term for each step in the transfer of energy and matter within a biological community?

• energy path
• food web
• trophic level
• food pyramid

Multiple Choice

a relationship between two in which one species, the predator, feeds on the other species, the prey

• chemosynthesis
• predation
• cellular respiration 
• commensalism

Multiple Choice

Organisms that breaks down and absorbs nutrients from dead organisms 

• consumer
• trophic level
• decomposer
• species

Multiple Choice

Consumers that eat only meat are called

• decomposers
• herbivores
• carnivores
• omnivores

Multiple Choice

Herbivores eat

• meat only
• plants only
• both meat and plants
• freshly dead organisms

Multiple Choice

Omnivores eat

• meat only
• plants only
• both meat and plants
• freshly dead organisms

Multiple Choice

These organisms break down decaying biotic wastes and then return the materials to the ecosystem.

• decomposers
• scavengers
• carnivores
• producers

Multiple Choice

Food, water, sunlight, shelter, and space are resources that are  __________.

• limiting factors
• wet
• messy
• found in rocks

Multiple Choice

The shrew provides energy for the _______?

• cricket
• grasshopper
• frog
• snake

Multiple Choice

Fox squirrels are common in Texas. Fox squirrels primarily eat acorns and nuts from trees but also eat insects. Some predators of fox squirrels include owls, snakes, and bobcats.

Which diagram best represents how energy would flow to and from the fox squirrel?

Multiple Choice

The Florida panther once occupied areas from Florida to Louisiana. It now lives only in the southwestern tip of Florida. What is the most likely cause of the decline of the Florida panther population?

• Competition for territory between panthers.

• The weakening of species due to inbreeding

• The loss of natural habitat due to human settlement.

• The increase in the population of white-tailed deer

Multiple Choice

The diagram below shows an energy pyramid. In a marine ecosystem, algae carry out photosynthesis. Barracuda eat snapper fish. Reef sharks eat barracuda.

Which organism would be at the top of the energy pyramid?

• algae

• reef shark

• barracuda

• snapper fish

Multiple Choice

Which of the following describes a native population where there has been a decrease in the availability of food ?

• An extinct wolf population remains extinct in a local forest.

• A goldfish population that has fewer individuals than the prior year.

• A pigeon population that has the same number of offspring as the past two years.

• A frog population has more adults in a pond than when they were counted last year

Multiple Choice

The figure below shows a food chain that might exist in a meadow.

Which of the following best describes what the food chain represents?

• how an organism might change over time

• the movement of organisms throughout the ecosystem

• the increase in size among organisms in the ecosystem

• the path of energy transfer from producers to consumers

Multiple Choice

A farmer wants to expand the family farm, but doesn't want to negatively affect the local red tail hawk population. The farmer knows the following about the red tail hawk. 1. They nest in the nearby forest in the tall parts of the trees. 2. They eat fish, rats, mice, rabbits, lizards and birds. 3. They hunt in open fields, plains, lakes and rivers. What choice below would have the largest negative impact on the red tail hawk population?

• Cut down the forest to plant a wheat field.

• Change the flow a nearby river to open up a field to plant corn

• Plant an apple orchard on part of an open field.

• Build a barn to park the tractor

Multiple Choice

The food web below shows some of the feeding relationships among organisms in Arctic waters.

Which organism would be least affected by overfishing for cod in Arctic waters?

• seals

• shrimp

• baleen whales

• toothed whales

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the role of bacteria in the food web above?

• Uses energy from light, to combine oxygen, carbon dioxide and water and converts it into energy in the form of sugar.

• Uses energy from dead organisms or waste material to break down dead organisms and waste material into nutrients.

• Controls the population by removing energy from living organisms

• Uses energy from dead organisms or waste material to transfers energy

Multiple Choice

This global food web shows how parts of a meadow ecosystem interact with parts of a marsh ecosystem.

Which of these is a food chain that is part of the global food web?

• meadow grass → rabbit → fox → hawk

• marsh grass → snail → small fish → hawk

• marsh grass → grasshopper → mouse → fox

• meadow grass → grasshopper → praying mantis → small fish

Multiple Choice

Gopher tortoises create their homes by digging holes in wee drained sandy soils throughout the southeast region of the U.S. The florida pine snakes will sometimes share the hole with the tortoises to shelter from weather or fire. Which of the following example demonstrates the same type of relationship?

• Moths lay eggs in the seedpods of the yucca plant, the larvae hatch and feed on some but not all of the seeds and the moth acts as a pollinator for the plant.

• The goby fish and blind shrimp live in a tunnel in the sand created by the shrimp and when a predator is near the goby fish will touch the shrimp to warn it.

• Tapeworms live in the digestive system and eat partially digested food which eventually deprives the host of food and nourishment

• A Pseudoscorpion is a tiny scorpion with no stinger that moves from place to place by hitching a ride on much larger insects

Multiple Choice

A student researching a northern forest ecosystem learns the following information about feeding relationships in the ecosystem.

Which food web best represents the flow of energy in these feeding relationships?

Multiple Choice

Mealy bugs are small insects that live on various types of plants and feed on their sap. When there is a large population of mealy bugs occupying a plant, they may remove too much sap causing the plant to change color or wilt. Ladybugs eat mealy bugs and are often used in greenhouses to control the population. Which type of relationship exists between the mealybugs’ ladybugs and plants?

• The relationship between the ladybugs and mealybugs are an example of competition.

• The ladybugs and mealybugs are an example of predation while the mealybugs and plants are an example of parasitism.

• The ladybugs and plants are an example of mutualism while the mealybugs and plants are an example of parasitism.

• The mealybugs and plants are an example of commensalism while the ladybugs and plants are an example of predation.

Multiple Choice

In order for an organism to move, which of the following energy transformations must happen in its cells?

• Sound energy is transformed into light energy.

• Mechanical energy is transformed into solar energy.

• Chemical energy is transformed into kinetic energy.

• Light energy is transformed into chemical energy.

Multiple Choice

A tree is a ....

• composer
• decomposer
• producer

Multiple Choice

What happens to MOST of the energy an organism takes in?

• It is used for life processes.

• It is lost the the environment as heat.

• It is stored in the organism's body.

• It is transferred to other organisms.

Multiple Choice

What is a herbivore?

• an animal that gets energy from eating other animals
• an organism that gets energy from eating only plants
• an animal that gets energy by eating both plants and other animals
• an animal that eats only herbs

Multiple Choice

What happens during an energy transformation in a living thing?

• Energy is created.

• Energy is destroyed.

• Energy is permanently stored.

• Energy changes from one form to another.

Multiple Choice

What is this called?

• Food Web
• Food Chain
• Abiotic Factors

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between a food web and an energy pyramid?

• There is no difference; food webs and energy pyramids show the same types of relationships between organisms.

• Food webs show all the feeding relationships between organisms, while energy pyramids show how energy moves from producer to consumer.

• Food webs show an animal at the top of the energy pyramid, while energy pyramids show only how producers get their energy.

• Energy pyramids show how energy flows between organisms, while food webs show only the different organisms in an ecosystem.

Multiple Choice

All food chains begin with a ____________.

• primary consumer
• secondary consumer
• producers
• scavengers

Match

Match the grassland organism to its category.

• Grass

• Prairie Dog

• Ostrich

• Cheetah

• Lion

Producer

Primary Consumer

Secondary Consumer

Tertiary Consumer

Apex Predator

• Producer

• Primary Consumer

• Secondary Consumer

• Tertiary Consumer

• Apex Predator

Multiple Choice

Barnacles are animals that cannot move. In order to get food, they attach to whales and catch any floating plankton in the water. The whale is neither helped nor harmed in the interaction. What type of symbiosis is this?

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Parasitism

• Neutralism

Match

There are 4 types of heterotrophs. Match each with its description

• herbivore

• omnivore

• carnivore

• detritovore

 gets energy from eating vegetation

gets energy from eating meat and vegetation

gets energy from eating meat

gets energy/nutrients from dead matter

•  gets energy from eating vegetation

• gets energy from eating meat and vegetation

• gets energy from eating meat

• gets energy/nutrients from dead matter

Multiple Choice

In the wild, some alligators gets their teeth cleaned by birds. The birds gets their food from the alligators' teeth.

What type of symbiosis is this?

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Parasitism

• Neutralism

Match

Match the following

• organisms which capture energy from nonliving sources and converts it into forms living cells can use

• organisms which acquire energy from other organisms, usually by eating them

• organisms which produce energy-rich compounds that can be used later by other organisms

• organisms that rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients

autotroph

heterotroph

producer

consumer

• autotroph

• heterotroph

• producer

• consumer

Multiple Choice

symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit

• competition
• Mutualism
• nitrogen fixation
• energy pyramid

Drag and Drop

Mr. Wagner is studying the plants and animals of Friedman Park. He classifies the grasses and clover as ​

Placeholder

because they make their own food through the process of​

Placeholder

. He classifies insects that feed on the clover as

Placeholder

because he thinks they eat only plant matter.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

autotrophs

photosynthesis

herbivores

Multiple Choice

symbiotic relationship in which one organisms benefits and the other organism is not affected

• invasive (non-native) species
• mutualism 
• nitrogen fixation
• commensalism

Drag and Drop

How much energy is passed from one trophic level to the next?

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

1%

10%

50%

100%

Multiple Choice

Aphids are small insects that live on various types of plants and feed on their sap. When there is a large population of aphids occupying a plant, they may remove too much sap causing the plant to change color or wilt. Ladybugs eat aphids and are often used in greenhouses to control the aphid population. Which type of relationship exists between the aphids ladybugs and plants?

• The relationship between the ladybugs and aphids are an example of competition.

•  The aphids and plants are an example of commensalism while the ladybugs and plants

• The ladybugs and aphids are an example of predation while the aphid and plants are an example of parasitism.

•  The ladybugs and plants are an example of mutualism while the aphid and plants are an example of parasitism. 

Dropdown

Only

Select answer

of energy is given to the next trophic level.  

Select answer

is eliminated as waste heat.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following  best describes the role of bacteria in this food web?

•  Obtain energy from dead organisms and waste material and transfers that energy to living organisms

•  Controls the population by removing energy from the living organisms

•  Uses energy from dead organisms or waste material to break down dead organisms and waste material into nutrients. 

•  Uses energy from light, to combine oxygen, carbon dioxide and water and converts it into energy in the form of sugar. 

Hotspot

If the producers have 1,000 joules of energy, click on the level that will have 100 joules.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes a relationship in the food web?

• The green plant is a decomposer because it is consumed by the rabbit.

• The goat is a primary consumer because it is consumed by the jackal.

• The wild cat is a secondary consumer because it consumes the rabbit.

• The mouse is a producer because it consumes the green plant.

Multiple Choice

A tick and a dog have this type of relationship.

• mutualism
• commensalism
• neutralism
• parasitism

Multiple Choice

a relationship that occurs when two or more organims of the same species need the same resource at the same time

• competition
• symbiosis
• predation

Multiple Choice

In this food web, the snake and the mouse have this relationship

• mutualism
• commensalism
• predation
• parasitsm