Population Ecology Quiz

What is the main focus of the study of ecology?

• How organisms interact with each other and their environments

• The chemical composition of rocks

• The movement of tectonic plates

• The structure of atoms

Which of the following correctly lists the levels of ecological organization from smallest to largest?

• Biosphere, Ecosystem, Community, Population, Individual

• Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere

• Population, Individual, Community, Biosphere, Ecosystem

• Community, Population, Individual, Ecosystem, Biosphere

Which level of ecological organization includes all living and nonliving things in a particular area?

• Individual

• Population

• Community

• Ecosystem

Which of the following best describes biotic factors in an ecosystem?

• Parts of an ecosystem that are living or used to be living

• Parts of an ecosystem that have never been living

• Only the plants in an ecosystem

• Only the water and soil in an ecosystem

What are abiotic factors in an ecosystem?

• Parts of an ecosystem that are living

• Parts of an ecosystem that have never been living

• Parts of an ecosystem that are decaying

• Parts of an ecosystem that are only plants

Explain why decaying organisms are still classified as biotic factors as long as their structure remains cellular.

• Because they are still considered living or used to be living

• Because they have never been living

• Because they are part of the soil

• Because they are abiotic factors

What is a habitat?

• The specific environment in which an organism lives

• The process by which organisms make food

• The migration pattern of animals

• The genetic makeup of an organism

What does "population size" refer to in ecology?

• The number of individuals in a population at a given time

• The amount of food available to a population

• The area covered by a population

• The number of species in an ecosystem

Which of the following can indicate an unhealthy population headed toward extinction?

• Gradual increase in population size

• Sudden and dramatic decreases in population size

• Stable population size over time

• Increase in the number of species

Why might ecologists choose to use sampling techniques rather than counting every individual in a population?

• Sampling is less accurate

• Populations are always small

• It is often impractical to count every individual

• Sampling is only used for plants