Ecology & Human Impact Quiz Review

Base your answer to the following question on the information and graph below and on your

knowledge of biology. The graph shows the number of animals in a population throughout the

course of a year. The population migrated into the area at the beginning of 2011.

The graph can best be used to illustrate

• A) a food chain

• B) ecological succession

• C) natural selection

• D) carrying capacity

A study was done on three different fish

species living in a pond in New York State.

The influence of temperature on the growth

rates of the fish populations is shown in the

graph.

In this pond where these fish live, temperature

is a

• A) limiting factor

• B) hereditary factor

• C) source of ATP

• D) source of solar energy

In a certain ecosystem, rattlesnakes are predators of prairie dogs. If the prairie dog population started to increase, how would the ecosystem most likely regain stability?

• The rattlesnake population would start to decrease

• The rattlesnake population would start to increase.

• The prairie dog population would increase rapidly

• The prairie dog population would begin to prey on the rattlesnakes.

Which process is directly used by autotrophs to store energy in glucose?

• diffusion

• photosynthesis

• respiration

• active transport

Which statement concerning the producers in the ocean ecosystem shown is correct?

• An increase in the types of producers will most likely decrease the available energy for the squid.

• A producer in this ecosystem is the zooplankton.

• If all the producers in this ecosystem are destroyed, the number of heterotrophs will increase, but the ecosystem will reach a new equilibrium.

• Since there is only one group of producers, their numbers must be large enough to supply the energy for the rest of the food web.

Which group contains terms that are all directly associated with one of the organisms shown in the diagram?

• herbivore, prey, autotroph, host

• predator, scavenger, decomposer, consumer

• carnivore, predator, heterotroph, multicellular

• producer, parasite, fungus, fish

Which set of statements best illustrates a material

cycle in a self-sustaining ecosystem?

• In summer, growing plants remove magnesium ions from the soil to make chlorophyll. In autumn, these plants release magnesium when they die and decompose. In spring, new plants will grow in this same area.

• Trees do not live in a desert ecosystem where there is not enough water present in the sandy soil to support their growth. Trees can live in a desert oasis.

• DDT is sprayed on a forest ecosystem to control the mosquito population. After a year, the level of DDT is found to be much higher in the tissues taken from a hawk than in the tissues taken from a mouse in this ecosystem.

• Plants trap the Sun’s energy in the chemical bonds of organic molecules. This energy is then used for plant metabolic activities.

Imported animal species often disrupt an ecosystem because in their new environment, they will most likely

• eliminate the genetic variation of the autotrophs

• increase the number of mutations in the herbivores

• have no natural enemies

• be unable to produce offspring

A major reason that humans have negatively affected the environment in the past is that humans have

• frequently lacked an understanding of how their activities affect the environment

• passed laws to protect certain wetlands

• attempted to control their population growth

• discontinued the use of certain chemicals used to control insects

Events that occur in four different ecosystems are shown in the chart.

Which ecosystem would most likely require the most time for ecological succession to restore it to its original state?

• A

• B

• C

• D