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Unit 1 Characteristics of Life and Ecology

Total questions: 42

Worksheet time: 24mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What type of symbiosis? Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers. The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower.

a)

commensalism

b)

mutualism

c)

parasitism

d)

predation

2.

Aphids are tiny insects that live on and eat the leaves of plants, removing vital nutrients from the plants.

a)

Predation

b)

Parasitism

c)

Commensalism

d)

Mutualism

3.

Which would most likely result in primary succession?

a)

old forest growing

b)

undisturbed prairie

c)

pollution kills mountain lake species

d)

a Newly formed volcanic island

4.

Which would result in primary succession?

a)

Flood destroying a habitat

b)

Tornado destroying a crop leaving very little soil

c)

Glacier retreating exposing bare rock

d)

limiting factors

5.

A remora attaches to a shark and has the benefit of scrap food from the shark. This relationship does not affect the shark.

a)

mutualism

b)

parasitism

c)

commensalism

d)

competition

6.

Which of the following shows secondary ecological succession?

a)

forest fire killing off smaller plants, then allows growth for others

b)

rapid evolution of animal species

c)

development of an ecosystem with only mature trees

d)

a meteor impact that kills all ecosystems

7.

Which provides the most energy?

a)

carnivores

b)

producers

c)

omnivores

d)

herbivores

8.

What is another term of herbivore?

a)

producer

b)

consumer

c)

omnivore

d)

decomposer

9.

Humans are omnivores, because they eat both plants and meat. Which level of the energy pyramid lacks that characteristic necessary to sustain humans?

a)

bottom level

b)

second level

c)

third level

d)

top level

10.
If the population of a certain predator increases, there is often _______ its prey
a)
a decrease the population of
b)
an increase of the population of 
c)
great news for its prey of
d)
no  impact found on
11.
Which of the following best describes the deer's role in the ecosystem?
a)
herbivore
b)
omnivore
c)
carnivore
d)
decomposer
12.

A snake that eats a mouse which feeds primarily on seeds is an example of a

a)

tertiary consumers

b)

primary consumer

c)

secondary consumer

d)

producer

13.

The shrimp feed on green algae (not pictured). Which would be the secondary consumer?

a)

Osprey

b)

Smelt

c)

Perch

d)

Pike

14.

A virus kills off the population of perch in the area. What population would then increase?

a)

pike

b)

osprey

c)

smelt

d)

shrimp

15.

A local park is using a pesticide to treat grass. Which organism is likely to suffer the worst effects from pesticide, due to biomagnification?

a)

Grasshopper

b)

Frog

c)

Snake

d)

Hawk

16.

Removal of which of the organisms from the ecosystem would cause the greatest effects?

a)

hawk

b)

fox

c)

frog

d)

grasses

17.

What would the be the long term effects if grasshoppers were removed from the ecosystem?

a)

the snake population would increase

b)

the frog and bird population would decrease

c)

the rabbit population would decrease

d)

the fox population would increase

18.

What percent of energy is moved up each trophic level?

a)

90%

b)

100%

c)

50%

d)

10%

19.

If a producer has 10,000 kcal of energy stored, how much would the tertiary consumer have?

a)

10,000

b)

1,000

c)

100

d)

10

20.

If all of the grasses and blackberries are destroyed in a fire, how might the top of the pyramid change?

a)

It will increase because the energy will increase

b)

It will increase because the transfer of energy will be faster

c)

It will decrease because there will not be enough energy to support the higher levels

d)

It will decrease because there will be a higher number of organisms

21.

Which organisms help convert gaseous nitrogen into ammonia in the nitrogen cycle?

a)

bacteria

b)

trees

c)

grasses

d)

squirrels

22.

What would happen if humans prevented the process of denitrification from occuring?

a)

Atmospheric nitrogen would decrease and the bacteria would die off

b)

Atmospheric nitrogen would remain constant and the bacteria would remain constant

c)

Atmospheric nitrogen would remain constant and the bacteria would increase

d)

Atmospheric nitrogen would increase and bacteria would decrease

23.

What would happen if humans dumped high amounts of animal waste into freshwater lakes?

a)

nitrates in the water would increase causing algal blooms

b)

nitrates in the water would decrease, causing fish to die off

c)

nitrates in the water would stay the same, causing no effect

d)

nitrates in the water would decrease then increase due to bacteria

24.

How would the carbon cycle be disrupted if many plants on earth died off?

a)

Water in the atmosphere would decrease, causing the atmosphere to become warmer

b)

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase, causing the atmosphere to become warmer

c)

Oxygen in the atmosphere would increase, causing the atmosphere to become warmer

d)

Nitrogen in the atmosphere would increase, causing the temperature to become cooler

25.

How would the carbon cycle be disrupted if human activities released an extremely large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

a)

Plants would have more difficulty with photosynthesis, causing them to die off

b)

Plants and animals would have issues processing carbon dioxide, causing issues with soil

c)

Animals would have issues breathing and would be years before the air contained healthy amounts of oxygen

d)

Humans would have difficulty burning wood and fossil fuels and it would be years before the air contained healthy amounts of oxygen

26.

The mortality rate of organisms following a type I survivorship curve is __________.

a)

fairly constant throughout life

b)

higher in post-reproductive years

c)

lower after the organisms become established

d)

unrelated to age

27.

What type of factor has an increasing impact as the population size increases?

a)

density-independent

b)

density-dependent

c)

cohort effect

d)

survivorship factor

28.

What type of growth model is shown in image A?

a)

Exponential

b)

Logistic

29.

What type of growth model is shown in image B?

a)

Exponential

b)

Logistic

30.

What point on the graph represents carrying capacity?

a)

a

b)

b

c)

c

d)

d

31.

At carrying capacity, a population __________.

a)

increases rapidly

b)

increases slowly

c)

decreases slowly

d)

is in dynamic equilibrium

32.

Which choice most closely approximates the deer population's carrying capacity based on the graph?

a)

100

b)

80

c)

60

d)

10

33.

Which mathematical model most closely describes the population growth curve shown in deer population graph from the previous question?

a)

logistic growth

b)

exponential growth

34.

Which population growth model most closely describes the human population in the modern age?

a)

logistic growth

b)

exponential growth

c)

upward growth

d)

tumor growth

35.
Largest number of individuals of a population that the environment can support...  
a)
carrying capacity
b)
population crash
c)
lag phase
d)
mutualism
36.
What is the carrying capacity for this sheep population?
a)
1.8 million
b)
1.25 million
c)
1.6 million
d)
1.o million
37.
When a population grows past the ecosystem's carrying capacity, what happens to the population?
a)
Continues to grow
b)
The population starts to die off to return to carrying capcity
c)
The population will go extinct due to lack of resources
d)
The population grows then finds a new carrying capacity
38.
Food, water, sunlight, shelter, and space are resources that are often __________.
a)
limiting factors
b)
wet
c)
messy
d)
found in rocks
39.
A _____ is something in the environment that causes an organism to respond.
a)
stimulus
b)
response
c)
cause
d)
effect
40.
Your body shivers when you are cold. This is because of the concept of...
a)
homeostasis
b)
heredity
c)
energy metabolism
d)
cellular organization
41.

Why do viruses need living hosts, such as bacteria or eukaryote cells?

a)

Viruses have a cellular structure which never require a host.

b)

Viruses depend on the host cells that they infect to reproduce.

c)

Viruses depend on a host cell because they lack their own DNA or RNA.

d)

The host cell is the source of food for the virus.

42.

Cell theory states:

all living things are composed of one or more cells;

a cell is the smallest unit that still retains the properties of life;

and new cells only come from cells that already exist.

Based on cell theory, which of these answer choices would describe one reason a virus is considered nonliving?

a)

A virus is too small to be considered a cell.

b)

A virus does not contain genetic material.

c)

A virus does not have a nucleus.

d)

A virus cannot reproduce itself without a host