Ecology

Why are there so few aquatic plants & phytoplankton that live at the bottom zones in the ocean?

• The temperature in these zones is extremely low.

• The ocean floor contains many decomposers.

• Most sunlight is absorbed before reaching these levels

Grass--> locust--> snakes--> eagles In this food chain, what would happen if half the snakes died due to a viral disease?

• grass numbers would decrease, locust numbers would increase & eagle numbers would decrease

• grass numbers would decrease, locust numbers would increase & eagle numbers would increase

• grass numbers would increase, locust numbers would decrease & eagle numbers would decrease

• grass numbers would increase, locust numbers would increase & eagle numbers would decrease

If grass stores 1,000 energy units received from the sun and the trophic levels are grass-->cow-->human, how many units of energy does the human receive of the original 1,000 units?

• 10

• 100

• 200

• 900

When brown tree snakes were accidentally introduced onto the island of Guam, they had no natural predators. These snakes sought out and ate many eggs of insect-eating birds. What probably occurred following the introduction of the brown tree snakes?

• The insect population began to seek a new food source.

• The bird population increased.

• The bird population began to seek a new food source.

• The insect population increased

If an ecosystem has a carrying capacity of 1,000 individuals for a given species & 2,000 individuals of that species is present, we can predict that the population...

• will show a clumped dispersion pattern

• will show a clumped dispersion pattern

• size will slowly increase

• size will decrease

Soil organisms, such as fungi, worms & bacteria are all parts of a woodland ecosystem. What best describes the role of these organisms in the woodland ecosystem?

• To break down the remains of other living things

• To provide oxygen to animals

• To obtain dissolved oxygen from moisture

• To store chlorophyll for photosynthesis

Which of the following stores most of the earth's carbon?

• humans

• atmosphere

• ocean

• rock

A biologist compares how different ecosystems undergo succession. She divides the series of events that happen during primary & secondary succession into three different stages. Which feature might be used to distinguish secondary succession from primary succession?

• the presence of soil and organic matter in the first stage

• the lack of pioneer species in the second stage

• the presence of pioneer species in the final stage

• the presence of trees and large plants in the final stage

If worldwide deforestation is not regulated what could MOST LIKELY result?

• Plants and animals could become better adapted to living in desert conditions

• Future generations of humans could have an excess of wood & paper products

• Acid rain could lower the pH of rivers & lakes to dangerous levels for aquatic life

• CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels in the atmosphere could increase & contribute to global warming problems

Which is an example of population?

• all the mahogany trees growing in a forest

• all the plants & animals living in a pond

• all of the species of animals in Africa

• all of the people born in a country over a 100 year period of time