WorksheetsEcology
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
How would a significant decrease in the pH of rainfall likely affect the biodiversity among organisms in an aquatic ecosystem over time?
How would a significant decrease in the pH of rainfall likely affect the biodiversity among organisms in an aquatic ecosystem over time?
The number of species is likely to decrease because most aquatic organisms require a specific pH of the water in the ecosystem.
The number of species is likely to stabilize because most aquatic organisms are brought into balance by highly acidic conditions.
The number of species is likely to remain unchanged because most aquatic organisms can tolerate any pH level in the water.
Estuaries are aquatic ecosystems that are important both ecologically and economically. An estuary is formed when a river meets a large body of salt water such an ocean or sea. They are often referred to as "nurseries" because many large marine animals relocate into estuaries to birth and raise their young. What unique condition must organisms that live in estuaries be able to tolerate?
extreme depths
varying salinities
ower levels of nutrients
consistently cold temperatures
Aquatic organisms can be found throughout fresh and salt water environments at almost all depths. Although, most living things are found in the zones that have the greatest light penetration.
Which of the following is the MOST important reason why light penetration is essential to aquatic life?
Nutrient levels are usually low in aquatic ecosystems, but light energy is transformed into nutrients such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus.
Deeper water is normally warmer, so the shallower water cools off the heat from the light.
All fish and aquatic invertebrates need to see others of their species for reproduction.
Light energy is the foundation of the food webs within the aquatic ecosystem.
A group of students measured a ten-square-meter section of a pond ecosystem and recorded quantitative and qualitative observations about the pond's ecology. Which statement is a testable hypothesis?
If the fish are given more food, then they will be happier.
Water is an abiotic component in the pond ecosystem.
If the frogs hear a loud noise, then they will jump into the water.
The frogs living in the pond represent a population.
What single feature is primarily responsible for the seasonal variation of climate throughout different times of the year?
The amount of vegetation in the ecosystem
The number of top predators in the ecosystem
The position of the sun compared to the Earth's equator
The position of the moon compared to the Earth's poles
Mia is an ecological researcher who studies biodiversity within forest ecosystems in Northern Florida. Each year, when Mia samples biodiversity she finds lower average diversity during winter months than in summer months.
What is the most likely reason for Mia's findings?
Higher levels of sunlight during the winter months cause animals to hide in natural shelters, so most animals did not appear in Mia's biodiversity samples.
Increased nutrient availability in the winter causes an increase in the number of plant, animal, and fungi species that Mia observes during winter sampling.
Since all plants drop their leaves every winter, there is no photosynthesis during these months. Without photosynthesis, all animals go without food and biodiversity is lower.
Colder temperatures and lower rainfall in the winter limit plant growth, providing less resources to support animals. With fewer plants and animals, biodiversity is lower.
The deciduous forest ecosystem can sustain a whitetail deer population of only 100 animals because the only source of fresh water in the area is a small stream fed by rainwater.
Which of the following describes the water supply in this scenario?
unlimited resource
unlimited resource
abiotic limiting factor
exponential resource
If a population grows larger than the carrying capacity of the environment, which of these is MOST LIKELY to happen?
The death rate will rise.
The birth rate will rise steadily
The death rate will fall.
The birth rate will double.
If the number of births is greater than the number of deaths in a population, what will happen to the size of the population?
It will decrease.
It will increase.
It will change randomly over time.
It will remain the same.
Ecological disasters in an ecosystem sometimes decrease the amount of plant biomass available to primary consumers.
Which of the following most likely will occur as a result of the disaster?
The carrying capacity of the ecosystem will increase.
The carrying capacity of the ecosystem will decrease.
The amount of fresh water available to organisms will decrease.
The size of the area encompassed by the ecosystem will increase.
Fossil fuels are buried, combustible pockets of organic material that have been heated and compressed for hundreds of millions of years. Coal is an example of a fossil fuel. What is one disadvantage of using coal to generate electricity?
The uses for coal-based electricity are limited, which makes it not practical for everyday use.
The world is not using much coal, which makes mining it a desirable, stable job.
Burning coal produces considerable amounts of air pollution.
Coal replenishes faster than humans can use it, which makes it expensive.
New fuels are being produced by converting corn and grasses into compounds containing alcohols that can be broken down for energy in various engines.
Why would this method of making engine fuel be beneficial?
The process will cause a loss of biodiversity in the rain forests.
The process will reduce the rate of homeostasis in organisms.
The process will increase the rate of air pollution.
The process will reduce the use of nonrenewable resources.
What is one disadvantage of using wind energy as a renewable energy source?
Wind farms can be very noisy, which may disrupt nearby environments and towns.
Wind energy is a "clean energy source," meaning that it produces more greenhouse gases than coal.
Wind does not blow with enough strength to generate electricity.
Renewable resources like wind energy are used by humans faster than they can be replaced in nature.
Aquaculture is the breeding, growing, and harvesting of aquatic plants and animals in captivity for human use. How can aquaculture contribute to the sustainable development of a renewable resource?
Aquaculture laws control how many fish can be caught in various areas of the ocean.
Breeding aquaculture fish populations can increase natural genetic variation in wild fish populations.
By raising aquatic animals for human consumption, overfishing of the oceans can be prevented.
Aquaculture prevents air pollution by factories, preventing harm to ecosystems.
Whaling, the industry of hunting and killing whales for their oil, meat, or whalebone, was historically a very profitable profession. But whale population sizes decreased dramatically. The global community came together in 1986 to enact a ban on whaling. However, Japan and Norway have not yet agreed to stop whaling. Which of the following is the MOST LIKELY consequence of their decision?
The whale populations are recovering very successfully in the oceans near Japan and Norway.
The whale populations are not recovering as quickly as they would if all the countries agreed not to hunt whales.
The whales are getting better at avoiding capture.
The whale populations have mutated into new kinds of organisms.
In the 1930s, the Red Imported Fire Ant was accidentally introduced into the United States and has thrived in the United States because of a lack of natural predators here. Which of the following BEST explains how the Red Imported Fire Ant has affected native ant species in the U.S. that do have predators?
The Red Imported Fire Ant caused a decline in native ant species by competing for their resources
The Red Imported Fire Ant caused native ant species to become susceptible to predators.
Native ant species preyed on the Red Imported Fire Ant and increased in population.
Native ant species interbred with the Red Imported Fire Ant, creating a new ant species.
Scientists that study the effects of global warming predict that a change in Earth's average temperature of even a few degrees will have dramatic effects. One consequence of global warming is the melting of the polar ice caps, which will in turn affect polar bears that use sea ice as a platform for hunting seals. What will most likely happen to the population of polar bears as a result of global warming?
The polar bear population will decrease because polar bears will become easier to hunt.
The polar bear population will decrease as their habitat is lost or changed.
The polar bear population will increase because polar bears will have fewer predators.
The polar bear population will increase as polar bears adapt to other habitats.
The number of pythons found throughout Everglades National Park has increased in recent years. These huge snakes are not native to Florida and are believed to have been released into the wild by pet owners. Wildlife biologists often attempt to capture and remove these pythons. Which statement BEST explains the biologists' reasons for removing these pythons from the Everglades?
The pythons could adapt to overcome diseases common to native snakes.
The pythons could prey on native organisms and cause native populations to decline.
The pythons could cause native snake populations to increase.
The pythons could begin to interbreed with native snakes and produce a more successful species.
Roads are often built through forests for industrial purposes or as land is developed for residential and commercial needs. How would road construction through a forest MOST LIKELY affect a nearby ecosystem?
Native species would increase in diversity.
All producers would be eliminated from the community.
The number of top predators would increase.
Biodiversity in the ecosystem would decrease.
How do invasive species threaten biodiversity?
They can cause biological magnification of pollutants in food chains.
They can reduce the populations of native species through predation or competition.
They can reduce the amount of conservation land that is protected from human buildings.
They can cause deforestation of large rain forests in tropical climate zones.
