Ecology

Barnacles are animals that cannot move. In order to get food, they attach to whales and catch any floating plankton in the water. The whale is neither helped nor harmed in the interaction. What type of symbiosis is this?

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Parasitism

• Neutralism

In the wild, some alligators gets their teeth cleaned by birds. The birds gets their food from the alligators' teeth.

What type of symbiosis is this?

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Parasitism

• Neutralism

In this photo, what is an abiotic factor?

• Deer

• Grass

• rain

Which of the following best describes an ecosystem?

• all the living organisms in an area and their physical surroundings
• a region with a distinct climate
• all the living organisms of the same species throughout the world
• all the living organisms in an area

A pod of dolphins hunting and feeding on a school of fish is an example of

• an ecosystem interaction.
• a population interaction.
• a community interaction.
• a biome interaction.

What is the ultimate source of energy for all ecosystems?

• the Sun
• plants
• secondary consumers
• primary consumers

A farmer plants two species of grass with similar nutrient needs on the same small plot of land.  What kind of interaction will most likely occur between the two species?

• parasitism
• competition
• commensalism
• mutualism

The diagram below depicts the water cycle.  Which process is represented by the number 2?

• precipitation
• evaporation
• surface runoff
• condensation

The bodies of all living things are based on carbon.  Which of the following is the primary source of carbon in living things?

• carbon compounds stored in fossil fuels
• carbon compounds in the soil
• dissolved carbon dioxide in the biosphere
• carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

78% of Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen gas. All living things need nitrogen as a part of DNA and RNA. Yet you and I, and other living things, cannot use the nitrogen in our atmosphere directly. One type of organism is responsible for "fixing" nitrogen or helping to put it in a form so other living things can use it. That organism is

• bacteria.
• fungi.
• plants.
• viruses.