ecological relationships review

Clownfish are tiny, omnivorous fish that find shelter from predators in the poisonous tentacles of sea anemones. The sea anemones sting their prey to capture food, but the clownfish are not hurt by the stinging tentacles. The clownfish clean the tentacles of the sea anemone and scare off butterfly fish, which consume sea anemones.

• competitive

• harmful

• predatory

• beneficial

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What is the function of decomposers in this meadow environment ?

• Synthesis of organic molecules from inorganic raw materials

• Splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen

• Conversion of light energy into chemical energy

• Recycling of nutrients from dead organisms back into the soil

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Bears and wolves eat deer, boar, sheep, and and other livestock. If the bear population in an ecosystem decreases, what would be the effect on the deer population?

• The population would decrease, as the parasitism created for protection against wolves is a limiting factor.

• The population would increase, as competition for the same food is a limiting factor.

• The population would increase, as predation by bears is a limiting factor.

• he population would decrease, as shelters created by bears' caves is a limiting factor.

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Read the passage "Gopher Tortoise" in the box below.

The gopher tortoise is a native reptile of

Florida and is very important to the ecosystem. The gopher tortoise digs underground burrows that are used by over 300 other species of animals. Some of these animals share these burrows on a regular basis, while others only

take shelter in them when a wildfire burns through pine forest. The tortoise receives no benefit from these other animals invading its burrows, but can do very little to force them to leave.

What relationships exists between the gopher tortoise and the burrow inhabitants?

• commensalism

• competition

• mutualism

• parasitism

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The images below show a tapeworm with a ring of hooks around its head. This ring of hooks allows the tapeworm to stay anchored in its host's small intestines. As food passes from the stomach to the small intestines of the host, the tapeworm absorbs the nutrients through its skin, slowly starving the host.

What type of relationship exists between the host and the tapeworm?

• commensalism

• mutualism

• parasitism

• predation

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Bees feed on nectar in flowers. To reach the nectar, a bee must fly deep inside the

flower. Inside the flower are pollen grains that are produced by the flower's male

reproductive organs. The pollen sticks to the furry parts of the bee's body, and the bee

transports the pollen as it visits other flowers, allowing the other flowers to be fertilized.

Which of these relationships best describes the interaction between the bee and the

flower?

• predation

• parasitism

• commensalism

• mutualism

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The graph shown represents a predator-prey relationship. What is the most probable reason for the increasing predator population from day 5 to day 6?

• A predator population equal in size to the prey population from day 5 to day 6

• An increasing food supply from day 5 to day 6

• The extinction of the yeast on day 3 and day 10

• The decreasing prey population from day 1 to day 2

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In his studies of birds in the Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin observed that a few bird varieties with similar beak size and shape inhabited a particular area.What limit the numbers of similar varieties?

• Competition for specific concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere

• The presence of an excessive number of autotrophs

• he presence of a disease that attacks birds with similar beaks

• Competition for the same type of food

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The diagram shown represents some of the food relationships between several organisms in a marine community. Which organisms would normally be the least numerous in this marine community?

• Orca whales

• Small fish

• Diatoms

• Small crustaceans

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The table shows several organisms and their food sources.

Which organism in the table receives the smallest percentage of energy transfer?

• tree

• beaver

• wolf

• moose

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