Font size
WorksheetsEcology Quiz
Total questions: 58
Worksheet time: 32mins
Which of the following is a biotic factor?
wind
disease-causing microbe
temperature
soil particle size
The study of nutrient cycling though the environment is an example of which of the following?
organismal ecology
population ecology
community ecology
ecosystem ecology
Understory plants in a temperate forest have adaptations to capture limited (a) .
An ecologist hiking up a mountain may notice different biomes along the way due to changes in all of the following except:
elevation
rainfall
latitude
temperature
Which of the following biomes is characterized by abundant water resources?
deserts
boreal forests
savannas
tropical wet forests
Which of the following biomes is characterized by short growing seasons?
deserts
tropical wet forests
Arctic tundras
savannas
Where would you expect to find the most photosynthesis in an ocean biome?
aphotic zone
abyssal zone
benthic realm
intertidal zone
A key feature of estuaries is:
low light conditions and high productivity
little or no vegetation
frequent algal blooms
salt water and fresh water
Which of the following is an example of a weather event?
The hurricane season lasts from June 1 through November 30.
The amount of atmospheric CO2 has steadily increased during the last century.
A windstorm blew down trees in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota on July 4, 1999.
Deserts are generally dry ecosystems having very little rainfall.
Which of the following natural forces is responsible for the release of carbon dioxide and other atmospheric gases?
The Milankovitch cycles
volcanoes
solar intensity
burning of fossil fuels
Which of the following methods will tell an ecologist about both the size and density of a population?
mark and recapture
mark and release
quadrat
life table
Which of the following is best at showing the life expectancy of an individual within a population?
quadrat
mark and recapture
survivorship curve
life table
Humans have which type of survivorship curve?
Type I
Type II
Type III
Type IV
How is a clumped population distribution beneficial for prey animals?
Being a member of a larger group provides protection for each individual from predators.
Prey animals rely on each other to acquire food.
Prey animals live in small family groups to raise young.
Clumped population distributions ensure that at least one member of the population knows how to identify the seasonal migration route.
Which of the following is associated with long-term parental care?
few offspring
many offspring
semelparity
fecundity
Which of the following is associated with multiple reproductive episodes during a species' lifetime?
semelparity
iteroparity
semelparity
fecundity
Which of the following is associated with the reproductive potential of a species?
few offspring
many offspring
semelparity
fecundity
Species with limited resources usually exhibit a(n) ________ growth curve.
logical
experimental
exponential
The maximum rate of increased characteristic of a species is called its ________.
limit
carrying capacity
biotic potential
exponential growth pattern
The population size of a species capable of being supported by the environment is called its ________.
carrying capacity
biotic potential
logistic growth pattern
Species that have many offspring at one time are usually:
r-selected
K-selected
both r- and K-selected
not selected
A forest fire is an example of ________ regulation.
density-dependent
density-independent
r-selected
K-selected
Primates are examples of:
density-dependent species
density-independent species
r-selected species
K-selected species
Which of the following statements does not support the conclusion that giraffes are K-selected species?
Giraffes are approximately 6' tall and weigh 150 lbs at birth.
Wild giraffes begin mating at 6-7 years of age.
Newborn giraffes are capable of coordinated walking within an hour of birth, and running within 24 hours of birth.
Giraffes rarely give birth to twins.
Which of the following events would not negatively impact Yellowstone’s grey wolf carrying capacity?
snow in winter
a beaver damming a river upstream
a forest fire
chronic wasting disease in the deer population
A country with zero population growth is likely to be ________.
economically developed
economically underdeveloped
Which type of country has the greatest proportion of young individuals?
economically developed
economically underdeveloped
countries with zero population growth
countries in Europe
Which of the following is not a way that humans have increased the carrying capacity of the environment?
agriculture
using large amounts of natural resources
domestication of animals
use of language
The first species to live on new land, such as that formed from volcanic lava, are called ________.
climax community
keystone species
foundation species
Which type of mimicry involves multiple species with similar warning coloration that are all toxic to predators?
Batesian mimicry
Müllerian mimicry
Emsleyan/Mertensian mimicry
Mertensian mimicry
A symbiotic relationship where both of the coexisting species benefit from the interaction is called ________.
commensalism
parasitism
mutualism
communism
Which of the following is not a mutualistic relationship?
a shark using an aquatic cleaning station
a helminth feeding from its host
The ability of rats to learn how to run a maze is an example of ________.
imprinting
classical conditioning
operant conditioning
cognitive learning
The training of animals usually involves ________.
imprinting
classical conditioning
operant conditioning
cognitive learning
The sacrifice of the life of an individual so that the genes of relatives may be passed on is called ________.
operant learning
imprinting
kinesis
Why are polyandrous mating systems more rare than polygynous matings?
Only males are capable of multiple rounds of reproduction within a single breeding season.
Only females care for the young.
Females usually experience more intrasexual selection pressure than males.
Females usually devote more energy to offspring production and development.
The ability of an ecosystem to return to its equilibrium state after an environmental disturbance is called ________.
resistance
restoration
reformation
A re-created ecosystem in a laboratory environment is known as a ________.
reproduction
microcosm
simulation
Decomposers are associated with which class of food web?
grazing
detrital
inverted
aquatic
The primary producers in an ocean grazing food web are usually ________.
plants
animals
fungi
What term describes the use of mathematical equations in the modeling of linear aspects of ecosystems?
analytical modeling
simulation modeling
conceptual modeling
individual-based modeling
The position of an organism along a food chain is known as its ________.
locus
microcosm
location
The loss of an apex consumer would impact which trophic level of a food web?
primary producers
primary consumers
secondary consumers
all of the above
A food chain would be a better resource than a food web to answer which question?
How does energy move from an organism in one trophic level to an organism on the next trophic level?
How does energy move within a trophic level?
What preys on grasses?
How is organic matter recycled in a forest?
The weight of living organisms in an ecosystem at a particular point in time is called:
energy
production
entropy
biomass
Which term describes the process whereby toxic substances increase along trophic levels of an ecosystem?
biomagnification
biomagnification
bioentropy
heterotrophy
Choose the term that encompasses all organisms that can make their own food using inorganic molecules:
autotrophs
heterotrophs
photoautotrophs
chemoautotrophs
In the English Channel ecosystem, the number of primary producers is smaller than the number of primary consumers because ________.
the apex consumers have a low turnover rate
the primary producers have a low turnover rate
the primary producers have a high turnover rate
the primary consumers have a high turnover rate
What law of chemistry determines how much energy can be transferred when it is converted from one form to another?
the first law of thermodynamics
the second law of thermodynamics
the conservation of matter
the conservation of energy
The mussels that live at the NW Eifuku volcano are examples of ________.
chemoautotrophs
photoautotrophs
apex predators
primary consumers
The movement of mineral nutrients through organisms and their environment is called a _______ cycle.
biological
bioaccumulation
biogeochemical
biochemical
Carbon is present in the atmosphere as _______.
carbonate ion
carbon dust
carbon monoxide
The majority of water found on Earth is:
ice
water vapor
fresh water
salt water
The average time a molecule spends in its reservoir is known as _______.
restriction time
resilience time
storage time
The process whereby oxygen is depleted by the growth of microorganisms due to excess nutrients in aquatic systems is called _______.
dead zoning
depletion
retrofication
The process whereby nitrogen is brought into organic molecules is called _______.
nitrification
denitrification
nitrogen fixation
nitrogen cycling
Which of the following approaches would be the most effective way to reduce greenhouse carbon dioxide?
How would loss of fungi in a forest affect biogeochemical cycles in the area?
Nitrogen could no longer be fixed into organic molecules.
Phosphorus stores would be released for use by other organisms.
Sulfur release from eroding rocks would cease.
Carbon would accumulate in dead organic matter and waste.
