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Ch. 2: Principles of Ecology

Total questions: 72

Worksheet time: 4hrs 24mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
What is the purpose of decomposers in the flow of energy?
a)
They eat dead organisms.
b)
They remove nutrients from plants.
c)
They recycle nutrients.
d)
They give energy to the plants and animals.
2.
Which organism do the owl and the weasel compete for in the food web?
a)
Hawk
b)
Spider
c)
Grasshopper
d)
Shrew
3.
What might happen if you remove a primary consumer from the ecosystem?
a)
There would be more food for secondary consumers.
b)
The number of primary consumers would increase.
c)
The number of plants would increase.
d)
The number of secondary consumers would increase.
4.
Which of the following would be the most likely effect, if there were a sudden increase in the cricket population?
a)
There would be a decrease in the small bird population.
b)
There would be a decrease in the grass/flowers population.
c)
There would be a decrease in the mice population.
d)
There would be an increase in the grass/flowers population.
5.
Which of the following best describes the small bird in the food web above?
a)
primary and secondary consumer
b)
secondary and tertiary consumer
c)
primary consumer only
d)
secondary consumer only
6.
In this energy pyramid, which organisms have the most energy available?
a)
Producers
b)
Carnivores
c)
Herbivores
d)
Top Predator
7.
How much of the energy in each level of a ecological pyramid gets lost as heat or used by the organism so that it cannot be passed on to the next trophic level?
a)
80%
b)
90%
c)
10%
d)
20%
8.
In this ecological pyramid which type of consumer gets only 10% of the energy stored in plants?
a)
Primary Consumers
b)
Tertiary Consumer
c)
Secondary Consumers
d)
Primary Producers
9.
The arrows in a food chain or web represents what?
a)
They point to the organism that is being eaten.
b)
It shows how sunlight flows within an ecosystem.
c)
They show the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
d)
They represent how water is transferred within a habitat.
10.
Which of the following terms includes all of the others?
a)
primary consumers
b)
herbivores
c)
carnivores
d)
heterotrophs
11.
A mouse eats grass. A snake eats the mouse and an eagle eats the snake. What is the eagle?
a)
producer
b)
primary consumer
c)
secondary consumer
d)
tertiary consumer
12.
Which organisms in the food chain have the least available energy?
a)
large fish
b)
algae
c)
shark
d)
small fish
13.
Aspects of the nonliving environment that affect the species in the environment and determine which species can live there are called
a)
ecosystems
b)
abiotic factors
c)
biotic factors
d)
keystone species
14.
Carnivores represent what trophic level?
a)
producers
b)
primary consumers
c)
secondary consumers
d)
decomposers
15.
Organisms in the first trophic level are
a)
autotrophs
b)
primary consumers
c)
heterotrophs
d)
apex predators
16.

Which of the following can be both primary and secondary consumers?

a)

detritivores

b)

herbivores

c)

carnivores

d)

omnivores

17.

Chemosynthesis is the process in which organisms

a)

form carbohydrates using chemicals.

b)

get energy by eating other organisms.

c)

use energy from the sun to form carbohydrates.

d)

make chemicals that absorb sunlight.

18.

A model that shows a single sequence of feeding relationships is called a

a)

food web

b)

food chain

c)

feeding chain

d)

trophic level

19.

A food chain contains oak trees (producer), mice (herbivore), black rat snakes (carnivore), and bald eagles (carnivore). How many trophic levels does this food chain have?

a)

four

b)

three

c)

two

d)

one

20.

What type of organism uses sunlight to make food?

a)

Heterotroph

b)

Detritivore

c)

Autotroph

d)

Carnivore

21.

True or False: Omnivores eat plants and animals.

a)

True

b)

False

22.

In which direction does energy flow through an ecosystem?

a)

Opposite directions

b)

One direction

c)

Two directions

d)

All of the above

23.

What is photosynthesis?

a)

A food chain

b)

A process that uses sunlight, water, and nutrients to make glucose

c)

When an animal dies

d)

None of the above

24.

Which type of heterotroph eats plants and animal remains?

a)

Herbivore

b)

Carnivore

c)

Detritivore

d)

All of the above

25.

What is Ecology?

a)

The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

b)

The study of animals

c)

The study of plants

d)

The study of producers

26.

What is an autotroph?

a)

Organism that eats other organisms

b)

Organism that makes its own food

c)

Organism that shops at Safeway

27.

How are plants able to process nitrogen?

a)

Using their roots

b)

Using a special bacteria that "fixes" nitrogen

c)

By asking nicely

28.

Why are animals unable to use nitrogen?

a)

They don't want to.

b)

They don't need it.

c)

They cannot process it.

29.

What is the main energy source in most ecosystems?

a)

The moon

b)

The sun

c)

Water

d)

Energy

30.

The process of evaporation is...

a)

Turning liquid into water

b)

When rain is not absorbed by the soil

c)

When water is heated and turns into gas form

d)

When water condenses into droplets

31.

True or False: The atmosphere plays a large role in the phosphorous cycle.

a)

True

b)

False

32.

Which of the following is not an example of a detritivore?

a)

Shark

b)

Mite

c)

Crab

d)

Worm

33.

Which type of organism is at the bottom of an ecological pyramid?

a)

producers

b)

primary consumers

c)

secondary consumers

d)

tertiary consumers

34.

What is transpiration?

a)

Water droplets falling to the ground

b)

Evaporation of water from plants

c)

When water condenses into clounds

d)

When water cannot be absorbed into the ground

35.
Organisms like fungus and bacteria that break down organic matter into simpler compounds
a)
decomposers
b)
detritivores
c)
scavengers
d)
carnivores
36.

In which process is nitrogen converted into a usable form?

a)

nitrogen fixation

b)

photosynthesis

c)

cellular respiration

d)

combustion

37.

Which term describes cloud formation?

a)

condensation

b)

precipitation

c)

transpiration

d)

evaporation

38.

Which term describes liquid water rising to the atmosphere as a gas?

a)

evaporation

b)

transpiration

c)

condensation

d)

groundwater

39.

Choose the correct order of trophic levels in a food chain.

a)

producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer

b)

tertiary consumer, secondary consumer, primary consumer, producer

c)

producer, tertiary consumer, secondary consumer, primary consumer

d)

tertiary consumer, producer, secondary consumer, primary consumer

40.

Which is the best example of mutualism?

a)

a fish protecting a shrimp, who builds a burrow for the pair to share

b)

a peacock courting and mating with a peahen

c)

a snake administering its toxic venom to a mouse

d)

a crayfish resting under the roots of an aquatic plant

41.

A fish swimming beneath a shark to collect scraps while the shark remains unaffected is an example of

a)

mutualism

b)

commensalism

c)

predation

d)

parasitism

42.

Which is part of Earth’s biogeochemical cycle?

a)

solar radiation traveling to Earth

b)

helium gas escaping into space

c)

an avalanche rumbling down the mountain

d)

carbon from decomposition trapped on the ocean floor

43.

The specific range of land—approximately 4 km2— a place for the jaguar to live is its

a)

Biome

b)

Habitat

c)

Niche

d)

Biosphere

44.

Deep ocean vents, African wildlife, and arctic glaciers are all part of the Earth's

a)

Community

b)

Ecosystem

c)

Biome

d)

Biosphere

45.

What will happen to polar bears if the Earth’s average temperature keeps rising?

a)

Their population will grow

b)

Food will be more plentiful for them

c)

They will become forest-dwellers seeking shade

d)

The ice sheets will melt and they will be unable to obtain food and travel

46.

A fish grazing on ocean algae is an example of a

a)

autotroph

b)

heterotroph

c)

decomposer

d)

detritivore

47.

Study the graph above: what is the optimal range of water temperature for Steelhead Trout?

a)

9℃ - 13℃

b)

13℃ - 21℃

c)

21℃ - 25℃

d)

25℃ - 30℃

48.

Infer the abiotic factors affecting the growth of a palm tree that has sprouted along the shore of a tropical island. Which of the following could be considered abiotic factors?

a)

palm trees

b)

hermit crabs

c)

sea gulls

d)

ocean water

49.

What process involves the capture and conversion of nitrogen into a form usable by plants in soil?

a)

condensation

b)

phosphatization

c)

nitrification

d)

ammoniazation

50.

What kind of creature is a dog?

a)

autotroph

b)

detritivore

c)

carnivore

d)

producer

51.

Describe the flow of energy through a food chain that begins with algae at the lowest level

a)

algae, fish, bird, alligator

b)

algae, bird, alligator, fish

c)

algae, fish, alligator, bird

d)

alligator, fish, bird, algae

52.

What is predation?

a)

the sudden death of a plant

b)

one organism kills and consumes another

c)

the scavenging of meat

d)

habitat sharing

53.

Label the following parts of the water cycle.

a)

Evaporation

b)

Transpiration

c)

Condensation

d)

Precipitation

e)

Runoff

1
2
3
4
5
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
54.

a group of interacting populations that occupy the same geographic area at the same time

a)

community

b)

population

c)

ecosystem

d)

biosphere

55.

the close relationship that exists when two or more species live together

a)

symbiosis

b)

niche

c)

population

d)

predation

56.

a chemical substance that an organism must obtain from its environment to sustain life

a)

nitrogen

b)

nutrients

c)

air

d)

minerals

57.

The __________________ is the portion of Earth that supports life.

a)

biosphere

b)

biome

c)

ecology

d)

habitat

58.

a relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is neither helped nor harmed

a)

commensalism

b)

mutualism

c)

symbiosis

d)

parasitism

59.
Cattle egrets forage (feed) in fields among cattle. The egret gets easy access to flying insects stirred up by the cattle, and the cattle don't care if they are there or not.
a)
mutualism
b)
commensalism
c)
competition
d)
parasitism
60.
A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unharmed...
a)
Mutualism 
b)
Competition
c)
Parasitsm 
d)
Commensalism 
61.

A tapeworm lives in the intestine of a cat absorbing nutrients through its skin. A tapeworm and a cat have this type of relationship.

a)

mutualism

b)

parasitism

c)

commensalism

d)

competition

62.
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
63.
What type of symbiosis?  Skunks often live in burrows that have been dug and abandoned by woodchucks.  
a)
commensalism
b)
mutualism
c)
parasitism
d)
predation
64.
Red-billed oxpeckers are birds that often feed on parasites that infest impala.  This is an example of _______.
a)
commensalism
b)
mutualism
c)
neutralism
d)
competition
65.
A relationship between two organisms in which both organisms benefit. 
a)
Mutualism 
b)
Competition
c)
Parasitsm 
d)
Commensalism 
66.
When a mosquito bites you, you are the __________ and the mosquito is the  ____________.
a)
host, hostess
b)
parasite, host
c)
host, parasite
d)
prey, predator
67.

Mockingbirds will push the eggs out of a blue bird's nest and use the nest for it's own babies illustrating...

a)

commensalism

b)

parasitism

c)

mutualism

d)

predation

68.

Clown fish live among anemones, acting as a lure for the sea anemone's prey. The clown fish get protection and shelter from the anemone. This is an example of which type of symbiosis?

a)

Commensalism

b)

Mutualism

c)

Parasitism

69.

A bee and a flower work together to benefit each other. This is an example of a ______. The bee helps the flower by pollinating it and the flower helps the bee by providing it with nectar.

a)

commensalistic relationship

b)

parasitic relationship

c)

mutualistic relationship

70.

Lichens are close associations of fungi and algae. The fungi hold the water supply and the algae perform photosynthesis to manufacture carbohydrates for both organisms.

a)

mutualism

b)

commensalism

c)

parasitism

71.

In the jungles of South America lives a thorn tree call an acacia. A species of ant eats secretions of the acacia, drinks its sap, and raises its young in the hollow thorns. The ants also keep competing vines from growing near the acacia tree and they help repel any insects that would damage the acacia tree.

a)

mutualism

b)

commensalism

c)

parasitism

72.

Lactobacilli are a type of bacteria that live in our lungs and destroy many of the microorganisms that enter our respiratory system. They are highly adapted to living in our lungs and can't survive in many other habitats.

a)

mutualism

b)

commensalism

c)

parasitism

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