Biology 4.2 - What Shapes an Ecosystem

What causes solar radiation to strike different parts of Earth's surface at an angle that varies throughout the year?

• Earth's tilted axis
• Earth's erratic orbit
• The moon's orbit around the Earth
• Solar flares on the sun's surface

In which location is the sun almost directly overhead at noon all year?

• The Equator
• The South Pole
• The North Pole
• China

All the biotic and abiotic factors in a pond form a(an)

• biosphere
• ecosystem
• community
• niche

A relationship in which one organism is helped and another organism is neither helped nor hurt is called

• mutualism
• parasitism
• competition
• commensalism

A form of symbiosis in which both organisms benefit is called

• mutualism
• parasitism
• competition
• commensalism

A type of symbiosis in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed is called

• mutualism
• parasitism
• commensalism
• predation

Natural disturbances, such as fires or hurricanes, can result in

• commensalism
• competition
• parasitism
• ecological succession

Which is NOT an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?

• microorganism
• light
• temperature
• rainfall

What defines a species' niche?
I. Abiotic factors
II. Biotic factors
III. Food web

• I. only
• III. only
• I. and II. only
• I. and II. and III.

The disappearance of a population in a given niche as a result of direct competition with another species for a resource is called

• competitive exclusion
• predation
• parasitism
• mutualism