Ecological Interactions and Food Webs Quiz

According to some scientists, most humans are hosts to thousands of microscopic mites on their faces. These mites are protected from predators in your pores and feed on oils from your skin, but usually have no negative effect on you. What kind of interaction is occurring between humans and their face mites?

• parasitism

• predation

• mutualism

• commensalism

Gisella is recording observations on wildlife in her local area and has seen raccoons eating a variety of things, including bananas, hot dogs, crayfish, and berries. What category of predator should Gisella place raccoons in?

• consumer

• herbivore

• carnivore

• omnivore

You know that wolf population size on Isle Royale is affected by the size of moose populations, and moose populations are affected by the populations of plants they rely on for food. How would an increase in the populations of plants that moose feed on change wolf population size?

• Wolf population size would increase after plant population size increases.

• Wolf population size would decrease after the increase in plant population size.

• Wolf population size would increase at the same time as the increase in plant population size.

• Wolf population size would decrease at the same time as the increase in plant population size.

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Keegan has been assigned the job of determining the population size of a local salamander species to determine whether the population is being affected by a parasitic worm. The budget for this project is $5,000 and he must assess population size in a local park system. What are one criteria and constraint of this project?

• criteria: budget; constraint: work in a local park

• criteria: budget; constraint: accurately estimate population size

• criteria: accurately estimate population size; constraint: budget

• criteria: accurately determine salamander species; constraint: budget

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Manuel enjoys watching the birds in his neighborhood in California, especially the European starlings that eat small insects from the grass. On a family trip to Colorado, he enjoys watching a different kind of bird, western meadowlarks, also eating small insects from the grass. Even though there are different species involved in these interactions and it is in a different ecosystem, Manuel knows something about this interaction because of what pattern?

• Both kinds of birds are involved in a mutualism with the small insects.

• Both kinds of birds are involved in a commensalism with the small insects.

• Both kinds of birds are involved in a competitive interactive with the small insects.

• Both kinds of birds are involved in a predator and prey interaction with the small insects.

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Guam is a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. Most of the bird species there do not have native predators. However, humans accidentally brought a new predator to the island—brown tree snakes. These snakes eat bird eggs and adult birds, including Island Collared Doves. The figure below shows how population size of Island Collared Doves has changed from 1976 to 1998, after the introduction of brown tree snakes. Which statement best explains the pattern shown by the data in the figure.

• Brown tree snakes prey on Island Collared Doves, causing an increase in their population.

• Brown tree snakes are mutualists with Island Collared Doves, causing an increase in their population.

• Brown tree snakes prey on Island Collared Doves, causing a decline in their population.

• Brown tree snakes have a commensal relationship with Island Collared Doves, causing a decrease in their population.

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The scientists grew clams with and without algae. Which pattern best fits their data?

• Giant clams with algae in their cells grow more slowly than giant clams without algae.

• Giant clams with algae in their cells have smaller adults than giant clams without algae.

• Giant clams with algae in their cells grow more quickly than giant clams without algae in their cells.

• There is no difference in growth between giant clams with algae in their cells and giant clams without algae.

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What additional evidence would you need to determine that the interaction between giant clams and the algae in their cells is a mutualism?

• evidence that algae are harmed by living in the cells of giant clams

• evidence that algae benefit from living in the cells of giant clams

• evidence that giant clams benefit by having algae living in their cells

• evidence that algae are not affected positively or negatively by living in the cells of giant clams

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If the algae cells were parasites of giant clams, how do you expect the data in the table would be different?

• Giant clams with and without algae in their cells would all grow larger.

• Giant clams with algae in their cells would grow more quickly than giant clams without algae.

• Giant clams with algae in their cells would grow less than giant clams without algae in their cells.

• There would be no difference in growth between giant clams with algae in their cells and giant clams without algae.

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In a forest ecosystem, deer feed on various plants, and wolves prey on deer. If the deer population decreases significantly, what is the most likely effect on the wolf population?

• The wolf population will remain stable as they switch to other prey.

• The wolf population will decrease due to a lack of food.

• The wolf population will increase as they adapt to new food sources.

• The wolf population will increase due to less competition for food.

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