Ecology Review

Barnacles attach themselves to whales. The whales are so large that they are seemingly unaffected. The barnacles get a habitat and food when the whale enters an area with abundant food resources. What type of relationship exists between the whale and the barnacle?

• mutualism
• commensalism
• parasitism
• predation

The Galapagos Islands were formed from volcanic activity. Which of the following organisms would have been the pioneer species to be observed growing on the islands?

• lichens

• trees

• shrubs

• weeds

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 an ammonium nitrate fertilizer.  Which would have the highest concentration?

• snake
• hawk
• mice
• grass

What best describes the type of relationship that occurs between grasshoppers and mice? 

• Commensalism
• Predation
• Mutualism
• Competition

According to the food web, which of the following organisms can be classified into more than one trophic level? 

• grasshopper
• owl
• rabbit
• frog

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

Some species of fungi, protists, and bacteria play a vital role in every biogeochemical cycle, including the carbon and nitrogen cycles. 
Which best identifies their common role? 

• carnivore
• omnivore
• decomposer
• autotroph

Which of the following lists the level of biological organization in order, from least inclusive to most inclusive? 

• individual, community, population, ecosystem, biosphere, biome 
• individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere 
• individual, community, ecosystem, population, biome, biosphere 
• individual, population, ecosystem, community, biosphere, biome