WorksheetsEcology practice questions
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 21mins
This sequence of diagrams best illustrates...
succession
evolution
the effects of acid rain
a food chain
If no human intervention or natural disaster occurs, by the year 2050, this area will most likely be a ...
lake
swamp
desert
forest
The natural increase in the amount of vegetation from 1840-1930 is related to the
decreasing water depth
increasing amount of sunlight
presence of bottom feeding fish
use of the pond for fishing
The sequence of plant growth is an illustration of...
an autotrophic pyramid
evolution
succession
a food chain
The interactions among living things and between living things and their non-living environment are the focus of the area of biology known as...
system dynamics
crytozoology
herpetology
ecology
An example of an abiotic factor in a in a pond ecosystem is...
floating duckweed
dragonfly
mud at the bottom
school of fish
An adaptation for life in the desert might be...
large, flat leaves with many stomates
a fleshy, water storming stem
long, sharp thorns on branches
shedding leaves in winter
Together, the living and nonliving factors in a particular place, such as a pond or field are called...
a biome
abiotic factors
ecosystem
population
The land biome that is characterized by a warm, wet climate and the greatest number of species of plants and animals is the...
tropical rain forest
deciduous forest
coniferous forest
tundra
An organisms "address" or where it lives, is best described as its
biome
habitat
ecosystem
niche
An organisms "occupation" or what it does, is best described as its...
habitat
ecosystem
niche
biome
All the populations of organisms living together in a given area form a...
species
biome
community
commensalism
Population density is...
the number of individuals of a species in a given area
the total number of individuals in a population
the rate at which the population increases or decreases
the way individuals live in groups or are scattered through an area
Density-independent limiting factors include...
interspecific competition
parasitism
predation
forest fires
The size of a population that can be supported by an ecosystem is called the...
population density
carrying capacity
census
steady state
A graph that shows the rate at which a population grows until it reaches a steady state will most likely look like the letter...
J
M
S
Z
The relationship between foxes and mice is best described as...
predation
interspecific competition
parasitism
commensalism
Creosote bushes release chemicals into the soil that prevent other creosote bushes from growing nearby, as a result creosote bushes have a
clumped distribution
uniform distribution
high population density
high growth rate
All the organisms of one species that live in one place make up a...
symbiosis
community
ecosystem
population
Certain moths have spots on their wings that look like owl eyes. Flashing these spots at an insect-eating bird usually confuses the bird into thinking it has discovered a bird-eating owl, so the bird leaves the moth alone. This is an example of...
symbiosis
mimicry
commensalism
competition
Which of these would tend to limit population growth?
crowding
increase in food supply
decrease in competitors
decrease in predators
Fleas live on a dog and drink its blood, causing itchy bites that make the dog miserable. This is an example of...
commensalism
mutualism
mimicry
parasitism
Over a long period of time, a pond fills up and first becomes a field, then a forest. This is an example of...
succession
commensalism
interspecific competition
predation
Population density increases with an increase in...
emigration
birth rate
death rate
density-dependent limiting factors
Which of the following are competitors to wild grazers such as zebra and antelope?
tick-eating birds
vultures
lions
cattle
Many corals have algae that live inside their tissues. The algae are protected by the coral and the coral need the algae to survive. This is an example of...
parasitism
mutualism
intraspecific competition
commensalism
This graph shows the population growth curves of two difference species of aquatic organisms. What is a valid prediction based on this graph?
Species A will not be present in the water during the winter months.
Species A will eliminate Species B from the water after one year.
Species B will attain maximum population size each autumn due to a decrease in water temperature
Species B will decrease in population size approximately one month after a decrease in the population size of Species A
The source of energy for almost all ecosystems on Earth is...
The sun
geothermal forces
photosynthesis
cellular respiration
The organisms on the first trophic level are...
primary consumers
tertiary consumers
heterotrophs
producers
During the process of nitrogen fixation...
animals release nitrogen back to the environment in the form of nitrogenous waste
the nitrogen in nitrates is used to make plant proteins
bacteria take free nitrogen from the air and change it to nitrates
lightning breaks down nitrates to form nitrogen gas
A clam that feeds on the phytoplankton it filters from the water is eaten by a walrus, which is in turn eaten by a polar bear. In this example, the primary consumer is the...
clam
phytoplankton
walrus
polar bear
The interacting biotic and abiotic factors in an area make up...
trophic level
ecosystem
biodiversity
food web
During the oxygen cycle, oxygen is released back into the atmosphere by...
producers during the process of photosynthesis
decomposers during the process of fermentation
consumers during the process of respiration
bacteria during the process of nitrogen fixation
In an ecological pyramid, the most food energy is found...
at the top of the pyramid
in the middle of the pyramid
at the bottom of the pyramid
none of these
The complex pattern of interlocking food chains in an ecosystem forms a...
biomass pyramid
food chain
biogeochemical cycle
food web
The organisms that break down dead plants and animals, thereby releasing CO2 into the atmosphere are...
decomposers
autotrophs
producers
consumers
Organisms that eat goats obtain less energy from the goats than the goats obtain from the plants they eat. This is because the goats...
pass on most of the energy to their offspring
convert solar energy to food energy
store all of their energy in milk
use energy for their own metabolism
A forest community is made up of thousands of species of organisms and can exist practically unchanged for hundreds of years This stability is due to the...
diversity of organisms present
abundance of insects that feed on plants
changes in the climate of the area
lack of decomposers in the forest
When a stable forest community is destroyed by fire, the community usually is...
not restored
restored in a series of successive changes
restored only if humans reforest the area
changed into a permanent grassland
An overpopulation of deer in a certain area will most likely lead to...
a decrease in the number of predators of the deer
a decrease in the incidence of disease
an increase in the number of autotrophs available for food
an increase in competition between the deer
