Ecology Quiz

One biotic factor that affects consumers in an ocean ecosystem is

• number of autotrophs

• temperature variation

• salt content

• pH of water

A food web is represented in the diagram below.

• snake

• rabbit

• wolf

• hawk

Some bloodsucking insects insert their mouthparts directly into a blood vessel and withdraw blood. Other bloodsucking insects have mouthparts that cut through the skin and blood vessels and produce a small pool of blood from which they feed. Both mouthpart types are specialized for

• autotrophic nutrition

• heterotrophic nutrition

• regulation

• excretion

Decomposers are important in the environment because they

• convert large molecules into simpler molecules that can then be recycled

• release heat from large molecules so that the heat can be recycled through the ecosystem

• can take in carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen

• convert molecules of dead organisms into permanent biotic parts of an ecosystem

Which statement best describes these two species?

• Species A is a producer and species B is its consumer.

• Species A is a host and species B is its parasite.

• Species A is a predator and species B is its prey.

• Species A is a scavenger and species B is its decomposer.

A new island formed by volcanic action may eventually become populated with biotic communities as a result of

• a decrease in the amount of organic material present

• decreased levels of carbon dioxide in the area

• the lack of abiotic factors in the area

• the process of ecological succession

The graph below represents a predator-prey relationship.

• an increasing food supply from day 5 to day 6

• a predator population equal in size to the prey population from day 5 to day 6

• the decreasing prey population from day 1 to day 2

• the extinction of the yeast on day 3

Which statement best describes the flow of energy and the movement of chemical compounds in an ecosystem?

• Energy flows into living organisms and remains there, while chemical compounds are transferred from organism to organism.

• Chemical compounds flow in one direction in a food chain and energy is produced.

• Energy is transferred from organism to organism in a food chain and chemical compounds are recycled.

• Energy flows out of living organisms and is lost, while chemical compounds remain permanently inside organisms.

One biotic factor that limits the carrying capacity of any habitat is the

• availability of water

• level of atmospheric oxygen

• activity of decomposers

• amount of soil erosion

Abiotic factors that characterize a forest ecosystem include

• light and biodiversity

• temperature and amount of available water

• types of producers and decomposers

• pH and number of heterotrophs