Succession Quiz

Biomass is the amount of living material present in an environment. Biodiversity refers to the variety of living things that are present in an ecosystem. Which of the following would you expect to occur over time as ecological succession moves forward?

• increases in both biomass and biodiversity

• decreases in both biomass and biodiversity

• increases in biomass, but decreases in biodiversity

• decreases in biomass, but decreases in biodiversity

Which of the following animal niches will be filled first as an ecosystem begins the stages of ecological succession?

• a carnivore

• a scavenger

• a herbivore

• an apex predator

New ground begins as barren rock. This rock is covered in lichens and mosses, and eventually soil forms. Which two processes are most responsible for forming this soil at the beginning of ecological succession?

• Subduction and Deformation

• Weathering and Decomposition

• Transpiration and Precipitation

• Crystallization and Condensation

The diagram above shows how one community of organisms replaces another until which of the following is reached?

• a pioneer community

• a marine biome

• an ecological pyramid

• a climax community

Lava from a volcano cools and becomes new, barren land. If this land is completely barren, then it would contain –

• only abiotic factors

• only biotic factors

• both abiotic and biotic factors

• neither abiotic or biotic factors

The diversity of animals increases alongside plants because larger plant communities provide

• defense from attack by parasites

• more sunlight to warm the ecosystem

• more chemical energy in the food chain

• fewer places for prey animals to hide

What ecological factors change throughout the process of succession and allow for the formation of a forest community?

• A defense from attack by parasites

• B more sunlight to warm the ecosystem

• C the depth of the soil

• D the amount of sunlight

Which of the sequences below is listed from the least complex to the most complex?

• A ecosystem → community → population → organism

• B population → organism → ecosystem → community

• C organism → population → community → ecosystem

• D community → ecosystem → organism → population

The temperature, amount of rainfall and mineral composition of the soil are all factors that can be used to describe -

• A population

• B biome

• C ecosystem

• D community

What is the order of succession shown in this figure?

• A, B, C, D
• B, A, D, C
• C, D, A, B
• D, A, B, C