Ecology Quiz

What is the term used to describe a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area?

• Community

• Population

• Ecosystem

• Biome

Which of the following best describes the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

• They produce their own food through photosynthesis.

• They consume living plants and animals.

• They break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

• They compete with primary producers for sunlight.

In a food web, which trophic level directly receives energy from the sun?

• Primary consumers

• Secondary consumers

• Tertiary consumers

• Primary producers

What is the term for the maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely?

• Carrying capacity

• Limiting factor

• Exponential growth

• Logistic growth

What is the primary source of energy for nearly all ecosystems on Earth?

• Wind

• Geothermal heat

• Sunlight

• Water

Which of the following best describes the flow of energy in an ecosystem?

• It is recycled within the ecosystem indefinitely.

• It flows from primary producers to consumers to decomposers.

• It flows in a closed loop between consumers and producers.

• It is primarily stored in the abiotic components of the ecosystem.

An illustration that uses arrows to show the MANY possible directions in which matter and energy can pass through the organisms in an ecosystem.

• Food chain
• Food web
• Energy Pyramid
• Succession Map

The nonliving aspects of an ecosystem.

• Abiotic factors
• Biotic factors

The living portions of the ecosystem.

• Biotic factors
• Abiotic factors

A collection of organisms that make up a community as well as all of the nonliving aspects of the environment.

• Population
• Community
• Habitat
• Ecosystem