Ecology Part 1 review 22-23

Which of the following is a biotic factor in the prairie ecosystem?

• water

• sunlight

• grass

• soil

Answer explanation

Biotic factors are living or come from something that is living.

Abiotic factors are non living and do not come from anything that is living.

What is the smallest unit of ecological organization called?

• Population

• Community

• Ecosystem

• Organism

Answer explanation

The order from smallest to largest is

Organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere.

Which of the following is an example of a population?

• the gray wolves in a forest

• the cats and dogs in your neighborhood

• the bushes and grass in a park

• the rocks in a rock collection

Answer explanation

A population is a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area.

What is a group of antelope leaving the herd in search of better grassland is an example of?

• Immigration

• Emigration

• Increasing birth rate

• Decreasing death rate

Answer explanation

Emigration is the act of leaving one's habitat.

Immigration is the act of moving into a new habitat.

An early winter frost preventing further growth in a tomato garden is an example of what?

• carrying capacity.

• a limiting factor.

• a biotic factor.

• indirect observation.

Answer explanation

Limiting factors are all the things that do not let a population grow too much.

By hunting at different times of day, hawks and owls are able to reduce what?

• predation

• competition

• adaptation

• parasitism

Answer explanation

Two species could avoid competition by hunting different prey or hunting at different times.

All the different populations that live together in an area make up a(n)?

• organism

• community

• species

• ecosystem

Answer explanation

A community is all the different species that live together in a place, and interact with one another.

What are consumers that eat both plants and animals are called?

• omnivores

• carnivores

• herbivores

• scavengers

Answer explanation

A bear that eats berries but also fish is an example of an omnivore.

If a hawk eats a mouse that eats grass, what is the hawk?

• producer.

• second-level consumer.

• first-level consumer.

• decomposer.

Answer explanation

The organism that eats the producer is the primary consumer, and the one that eats the primary consumer is a secondary consumer.

What is the main reason some introduced species survive and overpopulate an area?

• there are few natural predators in the area

• there is not enough food for other organisms

• most organisms can survive in new habitats

• people feed them

Answer explanation

Invasive species are more likely to thrive in an environment with no natural predators.