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Post Test: Ecological Pyramids, Interactions, and Succession

Total questions: 28

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


What is the correct term for variation in characteristics within populations of the same species?


A variation in characteristics within populations of the same species is called (a)   .

2.

What is kudzu?

a)

a type of fish found in the Caribbean

b)

a type of spring water bacteria

c)

a rare breed of canine found in Asia

d)

an invasive, fast-growing vine native to Japan

e)

a type of butterfly native to tropical evergreen forests

3.

Which marine creature was thought to have been extinct for 80 million years until one was caught off the coast of Madagascar in 1938?

a)

giant squid

b)

Portuguese man-o-war

c)

coelacanth

d)

nurse shark

e)

barracuda

4.

Catherine is working on a study of different groups of animals.


In which group of animals would she find the most diversity?

a)

omnivores

b)

carnivores

c)

mammals

d)

invertebrates

e)

vertebrates

5.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


Who are the final link in the energy flow in a food chain or food web?


(a)   are the final link in the energy flow in a food chain or food web.

6.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


What is each level of consumption in a food chain called?


Each level of consumption in a food chain is called a (a)   .

7.

Select the correct text.


Which of the following is the correct definition of biomass?

a)

the total amount of organic matter from plants and animals in a habitat

b)

all materials that form from the remains of living organisms

c)

hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides that are released when materials are burned

8.

In an ocean, the parrotfish feed on marine plants, big fish feed on parrotfish, and sharks feed on the big fish. What are sharks in the food chain?

a)

producers

b)

primary consumers

c)

secondary consumers

d)

tertiary consumers

e)

decomposers

9.

What food chain and web component does the image represent?

a)

producer

b)

primary consumers

c)

secondary consumers

d)

tertiary consumers

e)

decomposers

10.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


Which type of interaction is described below?


(a)   interactions occur between individuals of two or more different species.

11.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


Which term refers to the ability of a species or organism to survive and reproduce?


(a)   is the ability of a species or organism to survive and reproduce.

12.

Which statement is an example of commensalism?

a)

Egrets eat insects that are unearthed after livestock graze, but do not affect the livestock.

b)

Wasps lay eggs inside hornworms so that after hatching, the wasp larvae can feed on the hornworm.

c)

Lions and hyenas both live in a savanna ecosystem and eat the same prey, antelopes.

d)

Otters contribute to a high level of diversity in their ecosystem because they eat urchins, allowing kelp to grow.

e)

Ladybugs consume insects such as aphids, mealyworms, and spider mites.

13.

Which mechanism do prey use to blend into their surroundings, making it hard for predators to spot them?

a)

protective shell

b)

aposematism coloration

c)

mimicry

d)

sharp vision

e)

camouflage

14.

During which stage does land get ready for the arrival of new species?

a)

migration

b)

ecesis

c)

nudation

d)

reaction

e)

competition

15.

A drought killed all the plants in an agricultural farmland. Gradually, due to wind and some birds from nearby areas, new plants started sprouting. What stage of succession was taking place in the farmland?

a)

competition

b)

nudation

c)

ecesis

d)

reaction

e)

migration

16.

Identify the correct statement.

a)

Early colonizing species in a habitat are called climax species.

b)

The outcome of primary succession is water.

c)

Secondary succession occurs at a slower rate than water.

d)

Primary succession occurs in a habitat that has never been colonized by any species before.

e)

The classification into primary and secondary is based on when the succession started.

17.

Which of these indicates equilibrium in the community?

a)

seral

b)

pioneer

c)

ultimate

d)

intermediate

e)

climax

18.

A population of fruit bats faces a food shortage when the fruit trees they depend on for food begin to die from disease. What type of growth pattern will the bats exhibit?

a)

type I survival growth

b)

type II survival growth

c)

type III survival growth

d)

exponential growth

e)

logistic growth

19.

Conservationists establish that the carrying capacity of a population of deer in an extensive geographical area is 945. The current population of deer is 1,100. What is likely to happen to the population of deer?

a)

The growth pattern will change from logistic to exponential.

b)

The minimal viable population for the deer will increase.

c)

Deer from other populations will immigrate to find mates to reproduce successfully.

d)

The population will remain healthy, and its numbers will increase.

e)

The population size will drop until the numbers reach the carrying capacity.

20.

What primarily determines the carrying capacity of a population?

a)

birthrate

b)

biotic and abiotic limitations

c)

death rate

d)

rate of migration

e)

minimal viable population

21.

Select the correct graph.


Whale calves have a high survival rate, with most calves reaching adulthood. However, their aquatic ecosystem contains a limited amount of resources, so uncontrolled exponential growth isn’t possible. Identify the graph that represents the survivorship pattern of whales.

a)
b)
c)
22.

At what population was carrying capacity met?

a)

250

b)

1000

c)

400

d)

720

23.

This population pyramid shows... (HINT: Think about the age of the most people in the country and what that tells us about the birth rate.)

a)

Rapid population growth

b)

Slow population growth

c)

Negative population growth

24.

This population pyramid shows...

a)

a country with an old population

b)

a country with a young population

c)

a country with an uneven male/female distribution

25.

A series of predictable changes that occurs in a ecological community over time.

a)

succession

b)

adaptation

c)

evolution

d)

progression

26.

Tracks organisms that tend to live long lives (low death rate and high survivorship rate); toward the end of their life expectancies, however, there is a dramatic increase in the death rate.

a)

Type I

b)

Type II

c)

Type III

d)

Type IV

27.

A graph that shows the number or proportion of individuals surviving to each age for a given species or group.

a)

survivorship curve

b)

exponential

c)

linear

d)

logistic

28.

Describes organisms with a high death rate (or low survivorship rate) immediately following birth. Examples include bacteria, fishes, and invertebrates.

a)

Type I

b)

Type II

c)

Type III

d)

Type IV