Introduction to Ecology

What characteristic defines a keystone species?

• It is the largest species in its ecosystem.

• It has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance.

• It is the most common species in its habitat.

• It is a species that only eats other keystone species.

What is the primary focus of ecology?

• The study of how living things interact with each other and their environment.

• The study of how non-living things affect the Earth's climate.

• The study of how humans impact the environment.

• The study of individual organisms and their internal biological processes.

Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?

• A dog

• Fleas on a dog

• Climate

• Plants

What are biogeochemical cycles responsible for?

• The movement of tectonic plates.

• The circulation of chemical elements that make up living and non-living things.

• The process of evolution and natural selection.

• The formation of stars and galaxies.

Which field of ecology focuses on the interactions of two or more species?

• Community ecology

• Population ecology

• Behavioral ecology

• Ecosystem ecology

What is the primary focus of ecosystem ecology?

• How organisms act in response to their environment.

• Tracking the movement of mass and energy through an ecosystem.

• Studying the behavior of individual species.

• Analyzing the physical characteristics of an environment.

What is the role of a producer in a food chain?

• To break down decaying organic matter.

• To consume other organisms for energy.

• To create their own food using processes like photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

• To regulate the population of apex predators.

How much energy is typically transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecological pyramid?

• Approximately 1%

• Approximately 10%

• Approximately 50%

• Approximately 90%

What was identified as the cause of the mass elephant die-offs in Botswana?

• Starvation due to lack of food.

• Predation by other large animals.

• Poisonous neurotoxins produced by cyanobacteria in watering holes.

• A new, unknown viral infection.

True or False - Ecosystems offer humans many benefits

• True

• False