Ecology Review

A partial meadow food web is shown below. Based on this food web, which organisms are direct sources of energy for secondary consumers?

• Aphid

  Bird

  Rabbit

• Ladybug

  Fox

  Dragonfly

• Frog

  Butterfly

  Berries

• Mouse

  Snake

  Hawk

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In North American Forests, two species of birds, nuthatches and brown creepers, forages on the same trees for insects. Brown creepers feed on insects found near the bottom of the tree trunk while nuthatches feed on 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

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A student sets up a compost bin outdoors. Inside the bin microorganisms convert the student’s vegetable and paper scraps into rich fertilizer. Which of the following best describes the role of these microorganisms play in natural habitats?

• The microorganisms help balance the numbers of producers and consumers.

• The microorganisms help keep nutrients cycling through the ecosystems.

• The microorganisms turn solar energy into sugars

• The microorganisms function as autotrophs

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As ecosystems move through the stages of succession, the populations of organisms in them change. Which of the following describes the stage of succession likely have the most species diversity?

• A newly formed volcanic island

• An agricultural field that has never been plowed

• A temperate forest that has never been cleared by logging

• A field that is regularly mowed

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The table lists some organisms found in a swamp ecosystem and their sources of energy. When constructing an energy pyramid of the swamp ecosystem, which of these would be placed at the top of the pyramid?

• Grass carp

• American Alligator

• Eastern mud turtle

• Great blue heron

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During secondary succession, which of these best describes why decomposing pioneer species give way to larger, more complex plants species, such as hardwood trees?

• Increase amounts of sunlight are able to reach the ground while the pioneer species are decomposing

• Increased soil temperatures from decomposing pioneer species help tree seeds germinate more quickly

• Increased amounts of decomposing pioneer species remove nutrients that tree seedlings need to grow and mature

• Increased amounts of soil from decomposing pioneer species allow plants with more extensive root systems to become established

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The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) is a large, flat fish that spends most of its time in deep water feeding mainly on jellyfish. Sunfish often have many species of copepods, small crustaceans, that bury their heads into the soft tissue of the sunfish. Sunfish will swim to the surface of the water and lie sideways, allowing seabirds to eat the copepods from their skin. Which describes the types of relationships the sunfish has with other marine organisms?

• Seabirds: mutualism

  Jellyfish: predation

  Copepods: parasitism

• Seabirds: parasitism

  Jellyfish: commensalism

  Copepods: predation

• Seabirds: predation

  Jellyfish: mutualism

  Copepods: commensalism

• Seabirds: commensalism

  Jellyfish: parasitism

  Copepods: mutualism

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Surtsey is an island located south of Iceland. The island was formed by a volcanic eruption and first appeared in 1963. The table below contains descriptions of changes in the population and diversity on Surtsey. Which of these lists the descriptions in the correct order of ecological succession on Surtsey?

• I, II, IV, III

• III, I, II, IV

• IV, III, I, II

• II, IV, I, III

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A terrestrial food web is shown below. Which of the following list only organisms that are secondary consumers in this food web.

• mice, rabbits, herbivorous insects, and squirrels

• spiders, foxes, owls, hawks, snakes

• predaceous insects, toads, spiders, and foxes

• insectivorous birds, seed-eating birds, owls,

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A marine ecosystem is represented below. What is lost to the environment at each trophic level of this ecosystem?

• Nutrients from the soil

• living space for the organisms

• Food sources

• heat

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