Ecology Mega Review!

Ecology is the Science of:

• how genes have changed over time

• how ecosystems avoid failure

• How biology functions as a system

Abiotic factors are parts of an ecosystem that are _______________, biotic factors are parts of an ecosystem that are _________________.

• living, non-living

• non-living; living

• organic; inorganic

• inorganic, organic

Animals, such as fiddler crabs, advertise the size of their enlarged claw to intimidate their rivals. This territorial display is an example of what type of relationship?

• predation
• commensalism
• competition
• mutualism

Which of these best describes the role of microorganisms in the carbon and nitrogen cycle? 

•   Disrupts the health of organisms in the ecosystem 
• Causes disease in plants and animals 
• Aids in the processes of decomposition 
• Aids in the cycling of nutrients in the ecosystem 

A common food web in a grassland would be grass > mice > snake > hawk. If these organisms live next to a farmer's field that regularly uses a pesticide with DDT, Which would have the highest concentration of DDT?

• snake

• hawk

• mice

• grass

What's missing from the food web?

• decomposers
• producers
• consumers
• autotrophs

Oxpeckers are birds that sit on zebras and rhinos and eat ticks and other parasites that live on their skin. The oxpeckers get food and in return the zebras and rhinos get pest control. When there is danger, the oxpeckers fly upward and scream a warning to help the zebras and rhinos.  Which of the following correctly identifies the symbiotic relationship between the oxpeckers and the zebras? 

• parasitism
• commensalism
• mutualism
• competition

Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants. They do not harm the plants that they grow on. Instead they obtain what they need for survival from the air and the sun. Some species of orchids like the one pictured above are examples of epiphytes because they grow on tree trunks in tropical rain forests.  Which of the following correctly identifies the relationships between orchids and tropical rain forest trees? 

• mutualism
• commensalism
• parasitism
• predation

A food chain contains oak trees (producer), mice (herbivore), black rat snakes (carnivore), and bald eagles (carnivore). If these organisms were placed in an energy pyramid, which organism would be in the energy level with the second-most amount of energy available? 

• Mice
• Oak Trees
• Bald Eagles
• Black Rat Snakes

Sharks are hunted for their fins for use in shark fin soup, a specialty food item in Asia. Sharks grow slowly and take years to reproduce, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing. If overfishing of sharks is not reduced, sharks may become endangered in the next few years.  What would occur to the Pacific Ocean fish population if their natural predator, sharks, are overfished? 

• overpopulation
• extinction
• migration
• adaptation