ecology

Ecology

By Kirk Minton

Ecology

Check For Understanding: 

Food Chains, Food Webs, and Trophic Pyramids

ecology

Vocabulary

• Biotic vs Abiotic

• Population

• Community

• Ecosystem

• Autotroph vs Heterotroph

• Habitat vs Niche

Multiple Choice

1 living thing is called an ______________--

• population

• ecosystem

• organism

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

many living and non-living things living together is called an _______________

• ecosystem

• organism

• community

• population

Multiple Choice

Ruby-throated hummingbirds live in woodland areas, but also frequent gardens where flowering plants are plentiful. They hover to feed on flowers, nectar, and sap. During this floral feeding process, the birds pollinate many plants. These tiny birds are omnivores, sometimes feeding on insects and spiders.

• Habitat of an autotroph

• Niche of an autotroph

• Niche of a heterotroph

• Habitat of a heterotroph

Multiple Choice

many turtles living together is called a ______________

• ecosystem

• population

• coomunity

• organism

Interactions

• Biotic-Biotic interaction

• Abiotic-Biotic interaction

• Competitive Exclusion Principle

• Carrying Capacity

Multiple Choice

all living things together in one area is called a ____________

• community

• population

• ecosystem

Multiple Choice

Researchers have found that a local squirrel population fluctuates from year to year, increasing one year and decreasing the next. Which of the following factors would cause the squirrel population to grow?

• the birth rate is equal to the death rate

• emigration is greater than immigration

• the death rate is higher than the birth rate

• the birth rate is greater than the death rate

Open Ended

What was one example of a biotic-biotic interaction and an abiotic-biotic interaction from the clip.

Multiple Choice

Two species of finches are in competition for the limited resources of an ecosystem. One species eats fruit and the second species eats seeds. If a third species of herbivore finches moves into the area, how will the ecosystem change?

• Resources will be more abundant.

• Water will become more available.

• The climate of the ecosystem will change.

• Fruit and seed resources will become less abundant.

Multiple Choice

plants are called _________ because they produce food for us.

• consumers

• producers

• prey

Multiple Choice

A population of flat-tailed horned lizards was found in a geographically isolated area. In 2002, the size of the population was about 25,500. In 2004, the size of the population was about 32,800. Which of the following statements explains the change in the size of the lizard population from 2002 to 2004?

•  

  The birth rate was greater than the death rate.

• The emigration rate was greater than the birth rate.

• The death rate was greater than the immigration rate.

• The emigration rate was greater than the immigration rate.

Open Ended

Can two species occupy the exact same niche at the exact same time?

Use the Competitive Exclusion Principle to justify your answer.

Multiple Choice

humans and animals are _________ because we need to eat food for energy.

• producers

• prey

• consumers

• population

Multiple Choice

an animal that hunts other animals is called a ____________

• prey

• predator

• producer

• herbivore

Open Ended

Use your understanding of carrying capacity to explain what is happening in the graph between lynx and rabbits.

Multiple Choice

an animal that is hunted and eaten by other animals is called ________

• prey

• predator

• producer

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

an animal or person that eats only meat.

• herbivore

• omnivore

• carnivore

• producer

Multiple Choice

What is the PRODUCT of the process used by producers that is passed on as energy throughout an ecosystem?

• photosynthesis

• Sun

• glucose

• carbon dioxide

• water

Multiple Choice

Which of the following graphs shows a population of organisms with a carrying capacity?

Multiple Choice

an animal or person that eats only plants.

• herbivore

• omnivore

• carnivore

• producer

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an exponential graph?

Trophic Pyramids

• Be able to accurately place and label organisms that belong at each level

• Be able to use the Rule of 10% to calculate energy available at each level 

Multiple Choice

Define "carrying capacity"

• any factors in an environment that are limited

• when population increases slowly at first then grow at an accelerated rate

• minimum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support

• maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support

Multiple Choice

an animal or person that eats both meat and plants.

• herbivore

• omnivore

• carnivore

• producer

Multiple Choice

Define "limiting factor"

• anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing

• when population increases slowly at first then grow at an accelerated rate

• minimum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support

• maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support

Multiple Choice

If there are 100 KJ of energy available at the secondary consumer level, how many KJ of energy are available at the producer level?

• 10 KJ

• 1,000 KJ

• 10,000 KJ

• 1 KJ

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a density dependent limiting factor?

• competition

• parasitism

• disease

• natural disaster

Open Ended

Why are autotrophs so crucial to an ecosystem?

Support your answer with QUANTITATIVE data and use these vocabulary words:

Rule of 10%

Producers

Primary consumers

Secondary consumers

Tertiary consumers

Multiple Choice

Cattle egrets forage (feed) in fields among cattle. The egret gets easy access to flying insects stirred up by the cattle, and the cattle don't care if they are there or not.

• mutualism
• commensalism
• competition
• parasitism

Multiple Choice

What type of symbiosis?  Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers.  The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower.

• commensalism
• mutualism
• parasitism
• predation

Multiple Choice

Which symbols best describe parasitism?

• +,+
• +,-
• +,0
• -,0

Multiple Choice

Different species are most likely to compete for resources in an ecosystem if both species attempt to –

• occupy the same niche.
• successfully reproduce.
• live in different habitats.         
• find different food sources.   

​Questions?