Ecology TEST

Which of these best demonstrates mutualism between certain types of bacteria and humans?

• Intestinal bacteria obtain nutrients from the gut and produce vitamin K used by humans

• Bacteria become resistant to antibacterial medication that humans use for treatment

• Invasive bacteria at an area of injury produce toxins that damage healthy tissues of the human body.

• Bacteria in improperly prepared food is consumed by humans, causing food poisoning

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

In North American forests, two species of birds, nuthatches and brown creepers, forage on the same trees for insects. Brown creepers feed on insects found near the bottom of the tree trunk, while nuthatches feed on insects in the top part of the tree.

The difference in foraging behavior most likely affects the nuthatches and brown creepers by

—

• allowing the birds to avoid many types of predators

• reducing competition between the birds for resources

• preventing the birds from interbreeding with each other

• establishing dominance between the birds for nesting sites

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Which one shows a commensalistic relationship?

• Barnacles attach themselves to whales or turtles and as the

  whale or turtle travels in the ocean the barnacle gains access to new, rich nutrient food bases.

• Leaf cutter ants provide a nest and incubator for the eggs of the phorid fly. The fly lays its eggs in the head of a worker ant and the larvae travels to the body and eats its way out.

• Coral reefs are composed of coral polyps which depend on zooxanthella-a single cell green algae that lives in the polyps. The coral needs the photosynthesis of the algae and the algae need the nitrogen it receives from the polyps.

• Pollination process between plants and insects, the insects get nectar and the plant gets reproductive help. The floral structure of certain orchids mimic a female wasp so the male is tricked into pollenating the flower.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Spanish moss grows on the limbs of trees in swampy areas of East Texas. The moss does not hurt the tree or get any nutrients from the trees. Which symbiotic interaction is being displayed between these two organisms of different species?

• parasitism

• mutualism

• ammensalism

• commensalism

The acacia ant nests and feeds in the plant’s hollow thorns. The ant helps protect the bullshorn acacia by attacking insects and grazing animals that come near the plant. The relationship between the acacia ant and the bullshorn acacia is an example of which of the following?

• commensalism

• mutualism

• neutralism

• parasitism

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Which situation best represents a mutualistic relationship?

• A tapeworm absorbing nutrients from the intestine of a dog

• An orchid being pollinated by a nectar-collecting wasp

• A human losing blood to a feeding mosquito

• An armadillo rooting in the soil at the base of an oak tree

Pollen adheres to bees as they feed on the nectar of flowers. When they move from flower to flower gathering nectar, the bees pollinate the flowers. The bees then use the nectar to make honey. The relationship between bees and flowers is an example of

• parasitism

• commensalism

• mutualism

• neutralism

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

The rocky material left behind by a retreating glacier forms what is called a moraine. When primary succession occurs on a moraine, which life-forms will help create the soil by breaking down bare rock?

• insects

• lichen

• grass

• trees

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Which one is an example of primary succession?

• open oak woodland with several tree species

• mesquite grassland with mesquite trees, grasses, and boulders

• a floodplain with bushes, shrubs, grass, and small trees

• granite rock with lichen patches

Which statement best describes the differences in species

diversity between an ecosystem beginning the process of primary succession and one beginning the process of secondary succession?

• Species diversity is much greater in the ecosystem undergoing primary succession because that ecosystem is experiencing a longer period with a lack of competition for space

• No differences in species diversity exist because both ecosystems initially lack living organisms

• Species diversity is much greater in the ecosystem undergoing primary succession because the lack of soil provides a greater area for organisms to claim niches.

• Species diversity is greater in the ecosystem undergoing secondary succession because the soil already contains seeds and spores of various species