Ecology Quiz

Producers are

• Organisms that can produce light

• Organisms that can produce their own heat

• organisms that produce offspring

• Organisms that produce their own food

Why are decomposers important to an ecosystem?

• They help make sure prey populations don’t get too large

• They break down dead animals and plants and return nutrients to the soil

• They make the top predators stronger

• They can produce their own food using sunlight

Where does the flow of energy begin in an ecosystem?

• The sun

• Predators

• Prey

• Consumers

What do the arrows in a food web show?

• The arrow points to the organism that is about to be eaten

• The longer arrows show more force being used to consume an organism

• The arrows show the direction of the flow of energy

• The arrows indicate the time of day

When an organism blends into its surroundings to avoid being seen it is known as

• Camouflage

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Mimicry

A barn owl kills a mouse. What best describes this interaction?

• Herbivory

• Predation

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

A robin and a blue jay both eat the same type of insect. What type of interaction is this?

• Herbivory

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

A bee pollinates a flower, and the flower provides the bee with nectar to eat. What best describes this interaction?

• Herbivory

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

An antelope walks through grass, insects become active and are then eaten by birds. This doesn't harm or help the antelope. What type of interaction is this?

• Herbivory

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

Fleas live on a cat, and eat its blood for food, taking nutrients away from the cat. What type of interaction is this?

• Herbivory

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism