Unit 10: Ecology Practice Questions

Which of the following describes the correct order of the trophic levels on the energy pyramid, from bottom to top?

• Producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer

• Tertiary consumer, secondary consumer, primary consumer, producer

• Decomposer, producer, consumer, predator

• Secondary consumer, predator, producer, autotroph

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In a forest ecosystem, hawks are the tertiary consumer, snakes are the secondary consumer, rabbits are the primary consumer, and grass is the producer. If the snakes population suddenly drastically decreased, how would the other populations of organisms be affected?

• The hawks would decrease, the rabbits would increase, and the grass would decrease.

• The hawks would increase, the rabbits would decrease, and the grass would increase.

• All populations or organisms would decrease.

• All populations of organisms would increase.

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Removing the producer from an ecosystem would have what effect on the trophic levels?

• The primary consumers would thrive due to an increase in available resources.

• The entire food web would collapse, and all other trophic levels would be affected.

• Secondary consumers would increase in number, as they would have more food.

• Tertiary consumers would fill the role of the primary producers, filling the ecological role of the missing organisms.

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Match the following trophic level with its typical nutritional category.

• Autotroph

• Secondary Consumer

• Heterotroph- Omnivore

• Primary Consumer

• Heterotroph- Herbivore

• Producer

• Heterotroph- Carnivore

• Tertiary Consumer

Sort the following limiting factors into the following categories: abiotic and biotic

Groups:

(a) Abiotic

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(b) Biotic

• Symbiotic Relationships

• Earthquake

• Soil Composition

• Available Food

• Flood

• Available Water

• Temperature

• Predator Population

• Weather and Climate

• Human Activity

• Mating Success

• Prey Population

• Disease

• Sunlight

• Forest fire

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How does the introduction of an invasive species typically affect populations at different trophic levels in an ecosystem?

• Invasive species usually have no impact on other populations because they adapt quickly to the ecosystem.

• Invasive species often disrupt food webs by outcompeting native species, leading to declines in native populations at lower trophic levels and affecting higher trophic levels.

• Invasive species only affect the primary consumers at the lower trophic levels and have little impact on higher trophic levels.

• Invasive species help stabilize ecosystems by providing new food sources to all ecosystems.

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Which answer choice best shows the correct order of events after an event that leads to PRIMARY succession?

• Lichen and mosses break down rock into soil, grasses and flowers grow, followed by small shrubs and bushes, followed by trees, finally leading to a climax forest

• Nothing can grow because there is no soil.

• Grass begins growing right away, followed by trees and bushes within 3-5 years.

• Trees take root soon after the event, following by bushes and shrubs, and concluding with the regrowth of grasses and flowers to restore the ecosystem back to a climax community.

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For each of the following events, would this lead to primary or secondary succession? Sort them into the correct categories.

Groups:

(a) Primary Succession

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(b) Secondary Succession

• hurricanes

• flooding

• volcanic eruption

• forest fires

• human activity- paving a parking lot

• deforestation

• abandoning farmland

• glacier retreat

• nuclear explosion

• landslide

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An ecosystem has unlimited food and water, no disease, plenty of space for shelter, and very few predators. These conditions would lead to which type of growth for a population?

• Logistic

• Exponential

• Linear

• Quadratic

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In a graph showing logistic growth, the graph starts out growing exponentially but eventually slows down and levels off, like seen in the image. The leveling off represents which event?

• The population has reached its carrying capacity, and the ecosystem cannot support more growth from the population.

• There are abundant resources available in the ecosystem, and the population continues to grow.

• A natural disaster caused a sharp decline in the population.

• An invasive species has been introduced.

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