Ecosystem Ecology Quiz

What is the main focus of ecosystem ecology?

• Interactions between individuals of one species

• How energy and materials move within an ecosystem

• The classification of different species

• The study of non-living components

Why is it difficult to define the boundaries of an ecosystem?

• Ecosystems are always isolated

• Ecosystems do not interact with each other

• Ecosystems have fuzzy, ill-defined gradients

• Ecosystems have clear, well-defined edges

What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?

• Geothermal vents

• The sun

• The moon

• Chemical reactions

What term is used to describe organisms that produce their own food using sunlight?

• Heterotrophs

• Detritivores

• Carnivores

• Autotrophs

Which of the following is a primary consumer?

• A decomposer

• A herbivore

• A plant

• A carnivore

What is a food web?

• A diagram showing only plants

• A complex network of feeding relationships

• A chart of animal migration patterns

• A linear sequence of who eats whom

Why are food webs more accurate than food chains?

• They show a single path of energy flow

• They consider multiple feeding relationships

• They only include plants and herbivores

• They ignore decomposers

Which organisms are known as detritivores?

• Decomposers like earthworms and fungi

• Carnivores

• Herbivores

• Primary producers

What factors influence the size and scope of a food web in an ecosystem?

• Altitude and latitude

• Wind and humidity

• Soil type and pH

• Water and temperature

What limits the number of trophic levels in an ecosystem?

• The amount of sunlight

• The efficiency of energy transfer

• The number of species

• The size of the ecosystem