Ecology Practice Quiz NEW

Which factor would be an abiotic limiting factor for fish living in a lake in New York State?

• amount of algae

• number of humans fishing

• number of fish predators

• acidity of the water

Evidence suggests that a large meteorite hit Earth 65 million years ago, causing a layer of dust to block the sun, cooling the planet. It is estimated that 70% of all plant and animal species, including the dinosaurs, died off as a result.

The best explanation for the deaths of these organisms is that

• consumers require sunlight to make sugars in order to survive

• the amount of energy available to the biosphere was decreased

• energy is produced only by plants

• all animals eat plants for energy

Hydrilla, a plant native to Central Africa, was widely used in home aquaria. Hydrilla was often dumped with aquarium water into drains, sewers, or ponds. It then thrived and has become an invasive species, disrupting aquatic ecosystems from Florida through the northeast United States. Removing Hydrilla from these ecosystems will most likely require either physically removing it or adding chemicals to the affected waters to kill it.

The result of the introduction of Hydrilla into native ecosystems in the United States has shown that

• chemical controls will not be necessary to maintain every stable ecosystem

• Hydrilla will not continue to expand beyond one year because it is not native to the United States

• organisms in ecosystems of the United States can eventually build up an immunity to Hydrilla

• when humans alter ecosystems by adding specific organisms, serious consequences can result

The population of reindeer has been decreasing over the last 20 years in the Arctic because climate change has led to more rainfall there. The rain freezes on top of the snow, preventing the reindeer from getting through the snow to find food. Which action by humans has most likely contributed to climate change?

• recycling materials

• protecting wildlife

• maintaining the ozone shield

• burning fossil fuels

A Christmas tree farmer cuts down a native forest to plant Fraser fir trees. Compared to the original forest, the newly planted Christmas tree farm will most likely be

• more stable and more diverse

• more stable and less diverse

• less stable and more diverse

• less stable and less diverse

A major environmental concern in urban areas is pollution produced by automobiles. Fluids, such as oil and gasoline, may leak out of vehicles and end up in lakes, streams, and rivers. One reason why scientists are concerned about this type of pollution is that

• the presence of these fluids in waterways could make them uninhabitable for aquatic organisms and reduce water supplies for humans

• the addition of these fluids will cause an increase in the levels of lakes and rivers, possibly causing flooding in nearby areas

• these fluids increase the rate of photosynthesis in aquatic plants, reducing the amount of 02 available for other life forms

• the addition of these chemicals to waterways reduces air quality, which would lead to increased respiratory diseases and global warming

Destruction of ocean habitats by pollution today means that the organisms living there may not survive in the future. By polluting the oceans, humans are

• helping advance economic gains by using resources wisely

• altering the equilibrium of ocean ecosystems

• decreasing the rate of species extinction

• increasing the stability of the oceans

Human society has become increasingly dependent on industry and technology. While this has had many benefits, it also has had the disadvantage of

• reducing the amount of food that can be produced by one acre of farmland

• lowering the level of carbon dioxide available for plants to use for photosynthesis

• raising the number of producers worldwide to dangerous levels

• increasing our reliance on energy sources such as fossil fuels

1. A graph of population changes of two animal species over time is shown.

Using the information on the graph, what is the most likely relationship between these two populations?

• predator/prey

• parasite/host

• consumer/decomposer

• pathogen/host

The diagram represents the energy relationships in a forest ecosystem.

The best explanation for the decrease in the amount of energy available as one moves up the pyramid is that 

• producers require more energy than consumers to survive

• decomposers recycle nutrients at each level

• much of the energy at each level is lost as heat

• animals use less energy than plants