Unit 8 Ecology Study Guide

The image shows a food web in an ecosystem, with arrows pointing toward the consumer. A new organism (not shown in the picture) moves into the ecosystem. Its major food source is the grasshopper. Which animals in the food web will form a competitive relationship with the new organism?

• owl and bird

• mouse and owl

• owl

• fox and bird

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Mosquitoes are parasites that feed on the blood of other organisms. People are often bitten by mosquitoes. Mosquito bites can be painful, red, and itchy and can also transmit diseases such as malaria. Which of these comparisons is most similar to the parasitic relationship between a mosquito and the person it bites?

• A hyena and lion battle for the same gazelle carcass.

• A bear capturing and eating a salmon fish.

• A sea anemone and clownfish protect each other from various predators.

• A sea lamprey thriving on the blood of a bass fish.

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A clownfish living in a sea anemone is an example of two species that each protect the other from predators. This is an example of what type of relationship?

• commensalism

• mutualism

• parasitism

• competition

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A flowering plant, called mistletoe, attaches itself to the vascular system of a tree and removes nutrients and water from the tree. The tree can become weak due to the presence of this plant. Mistletoe can produce some food of its own through photosynthesis and serves as food for some birds and other animals. What word best describes the relationship between mistletoe and the tree it inhabits?

• parasitic

• heterotrophic

• commensalistic

• mutualistic

A food web shows how energy moves from one organism to another in an ecosystem. Students in a life science class created a diagram demonstrating a food web. Based on the food web, which of these organisms receives its energy directly from a primary consumer?

• ant

• topi

• pangolin

• black panther

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Think of a food web. In which order does energy flow?

• From producers to carnivores to herbivores.

• From producers to herbivores to carnivores.

• From carnivores to herbivores to producers.

• From herbivores to carnivores to producers.

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Which statement provides the best description of a food web?

• Food webs show how all the consumers compete for food resources in an ecosystem.

• Food webs show how many producers, consumers, and decomposers there are in an ecosystem.

• Food webs list all of the animals and plants in an ecosystem.

• Food webs show the transfer of energy among producers, consumers, and decomposers.

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What is one major difference between food webs and food chains?

• Food webs trace the source of energy all the way back to the Sun.

• Food webs cross into more than one environment.

• Food webs contain multiple consumers using a single energy source.

• Food webs show multiple connections among organisms.

In 1906 there were an estimated 4,000 deer on the Kaibab Plateau. The government decided to create a preserve for them. Livestock had overgrazed the food on the plateau. The Forest Service chose to move the horses, sheep, and cows off of the preserve. They also decided to remove the deer's natural predators. In 1920, the Forest Service discovered that the number of deer in the preserve was very large. By 1923, most of the deer were starving from a lack of food. Which statement best describes what happened on the Kaibab Preserve?

• Overgrazing by livestock caused the deer on the Kaibab Plateau to starve.

• Because there were no natural predators, the deer population grew too large.

• The large growth and starvation of the deer population was simply a natural event.

• The natural predators could not keep up with the growth of the deer population.

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Barnacles are arthropods closely related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are usually found on rocky surfaces, but there are some species that attach themselves to turtles and whales. The barnacles feed on nutrient-rich waters as the turtles and whales travel. The whales and turtles do not benefit or get hurt from the barnacles. Which type of relationship do the barnacles have with the whales and the turtles?

• predation

• mutualism

• parasitism

• commensalism