Ecology Review

Which of the following does not describe a predator and prey relationship

• A lion eating a zebra

• A coral polyp eating zooplankton

• A shrimp eating algae

• A wolf eating a hare

How are phytoplankton different from zooplankton?

• Zooplankton and phytoplankton are the same thing. There is no difference.

• Phytoplankton are heterotrophs (consumers) that get energy by eating other organisms.

• Phytoplankton are autotrophs (producers) that get energy by using the sunlight for photosynthesis.

Which of the following is not a parasite and host relationship?

• Heartworm growing inside a dog

• A bird adding eggs to another bird's nest

• A mosquito taking blood from a human

• A fish using an abandoned shell for shelter

In a forest mice can be found hiding on the ground. The majority of mice are brown in color, similar to the forest floor. A smaller part of the mice population have a trait variation and have black fur.

A wildfire burns through the forest. After the fire, an ecologist studied the ecosystem. In the areas where the fire had happened, the number are dark mice had increased while the brown mice had decreased

What contributed to this change?

• The dark burned ground camouflaged the black mice.

• The light mice preyed on the dark mice.

• Snake and other predator populations increased in the area.

• The dark mice had fewer offspring than the lighter mice.

A scientist was researching why certain organisms better survive during changes to their ecosystem.

Fly - grows to an adult in 7 days. Can lay 6 sets of 150 eggs that hatch in 24 hours.

Rhino- grows to an adult at age 7. Will reproduce every 3 to 5 years. Takes 16 months to have a 1 offspring.

Why do small insects adapt to changes in their environment quicker than other organisms like the rhino?

• Flies take a long time to reproduce.

• Flies do not have many offspring

• Flies have short generation times and can have more offspring quickly

• Flies like to eat garbage and this makes them immune to dying.

A scientist was studying producers like algae and phytoplankton in an aquatic ecosystem. What would cause the producer population to increase?

• An increase in consumers

• An increase of fertilizers

• A decrease of sunlight

• A decrease in water

An area previously abundant in organisms is over-hunted. The number of species in the area decreases.

Which of the following would help the area return to normal?

• bringing new species from a different ecosystem to the area

• limiting (decreasing) the amount of hunting in the area

• removing some of the producers in the area

• increasing hunting in the area

When a hurricane moves into an area, changes can happen to the environment. Areas that are normally fresh water become flooded with salt water from the ocean.

In order for producers in the area to survive, they must be able to-

• hold their breath under water

• filter out the salt they do not need

• create energy to reproduce

• drink a lot of water

Think about a predator and its prey like a wolf and a hare or a lion and a zebra.

What statement below is true about the populations of each organism.

• When the predator population increases the prey population will say the same.

• When the predator population decreases the prey population will stay the same

• When the prey population increase the predator population will begin to increase

• when the prey population decreases the predator population will increase.

Which of the following is not something an autotroph (plant) requires (must have) to survive?

• Sunlight for photosynthesis

• Water to store in the vacuole

• Energy for reproduction

• Consumers to control population