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WorksheetsTexas Biology EOC RC 4: Ecology & Interdependence
Total questions: 60
Worksheet time: 2hrs 37mins
Which ecological relationship involves one organism benefiting while the other is neither helped nor harmed?
Predation
Mutualism
Parasitism
Commensalism
What percentage of energy is typically transferred from one trophic level to the next?
50%
5%
10%
20%
Which process is NOT part of the carbon cycle?
Nitrification
Combustion
Photosynthesis
Respiration
What is a major effect of altering the nitrogen cycle?
Increased greenhouse gases
Waterway contamination
Species extinction
Higher predation rates
Which factor generally increases ecosystem stability?
Reduced species diversity
Increased pollution
Higher biodiversity
Lower resilience
What is the role of keystone species in an ecosystem?
They are always top predators
Their loss can have domino effects on ecosystem structure
They reduce biodiversity
They have a minor impact on ecosystem structure
Which human activity is NOT mentioned as affecting biodiversity?
Pollution
Space exploration
Habitat destruction
Climate change
What is the definition of ecosystem stability?
The ability to reduce energy flow
The ability to increase species diversity
The ability to maintain structure and function in the face of disturbances
The ability to eliminate all predators
Which ecological relationship can lead to competitive exclusion or resource partitioning?
Mutualism
Parasitism
Commensalism
Competition
Which of the following would indicate the greatest problem with the health of an ecosystem?
There has recently been a change in the ecosystem’s weather.
The ecosystem includes only a few kinds of plants and animals.
The average temperature in the ecosystem has increased slightly over many years.
The population of top predators increases and decreases in a regular pattern.
Which type of organism performs nitrogen fixation?
Bacteria
Viruses
Humans
Plants and phytoplankton
Eutrophication is caused by what?
Increase in CO2 in the atmosphere.
Increase of nitrogen and phosphorous in lakes and estuaries.
Driving our cars and using too many electronics.
Increasing air and water temperatures on earth.
Which organisms will you find the most of in an ecosystem?
Consumer
Producer
Decomposer
Kelp forests are critical ecosystems that provide habitats to a variety of animals, including sea urchins, sea anemones, crabs, jellyfish, snails, and fish. They also provide hunting grounds for mammals, including sea otters, sea lions, seals, and many different birds. In recent years scientists have documented an increase in shark attacks on sea otters in and around kelp forests.
Which consequence is most likely to occur in kelp forests as a result of increased predation of sea otters?
Kelp forests will become more stable due to the decrease in otter predation pressure.
Kelp forests will become more stable as sharks replace otters as the top predator in the food chain.
Kelp forests will become less stable due to the increase in the size of the otters' prey populations.
Kelp forests will become less stable as sharks will also eliminate the prey of the otters.
Human activities constantly affect the ecosystems that are in close proximity with human settlements. The graph shows the population of oak trees around the city of Greenville, South Carolina.
If all other factors remain the same, what will most likely happen to the oak tree population over the next five years if the human population continues to grow?
If all other factors remain the same, what will most likely happen to the oak tree population over the next five years if the human population continues to grow?
The oak population will increase as people become more aware of environmental issues.
The oak population will stay the same as people plant new trees to replace trees that are cut.
The oak population will decrease as people build more homes.
What does deforestation directly impact?
The number of shopping malls
The amount of desert land
The habitat of forest animals
The speed of cars
What can you do to help protect ecosystems?
Leave lights on all day.
Throw trash on the ground.
Use less water.
Cut down trees.
After a wheat field is cleared, wild grasses and weeds begin growing. This process is considered —
primary succession because pioneer species appear
primary succession because there are no large trees
secondary succession because soil is already present
secondary succession because the field contains inorganic matter
A remora is a fish that has an adhesive disk on the back of its head that it uses to attach to a large shark. When uneaten food bits float away from the shark's mouth as it feeds, the remora fish eats the scraps.
The relationship of the remora and the shark is........
Predation
Parasitism
Commensalism
Competition
Which of the following are abiotic limiting factors?
The decomposers in an ecosystem.
The populations of producers in a given habitat.
Carrying capacities of several species.
Water, space, and oxygen.
In biology, what is carrying capacity?
The maximum population size an ecosystem can support.
A total list of the limiting factors.
How much weight an organism can lift.
How much pain an organism can tolerate.
In nature, which type of behavior causes animals to produce aggressive displays and sounds?
imprinting
territoriality
conditioning
habituation
What will most likely occur if the population of the world continues to increase at predicted rates?
There will be an increase in biodiversity as a result of improvements in technology.
There will be more rapid depletion of natural resources.
The human race will rapidly become extinct.
All human diseases will be eliminated
What will most likely happen if a nonnative species is introduced into a stable ecosystem?
The native species will change their diet, and the ecosystem will remain stable.
The native species will move to another area, and the ecosystem will remain stable.
The native species will have to compete for resources with the nonnative species, and the ecosystem will become unbalanced.
The native species will share their food with the introduced species, and the ecosystem will become unbalanced.
Which statement best explains why animals are considered heterotrophic?
They are able to produce food through the process of photosynthesis.
They are able to produce food through the process of respiration.
They are able to obtain nutrients by decomposing plant and animal tissue.
They are able to obtain nutrients by consuming other organisms or their products.
The males of a bird species do a “dance” and “sing a song” each spring. What is the main purpose of these behaviors?
to scare off young birds
to imprint young birds
to clean their feathers
to attract female birds
The yucca plant releases a strong scent at night when the yucca moth is active.
The yucca moth, attracted by the scent, gathers pollen from the yucca flower. The yucca moth then deposits her eggs and the pollen on another plant. This ensures that the plant will be cross-pollinated and that the yucca moth larvae have a steady food supply.
Which relationship does this best illustrate?
commensalism
mutualism
parasitism
predation
Which environmental concern is most associated with burning fossil fuels?
global climate change
pollution of ocean waters
ozone layer destruction
decrease in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide
What is a niche?
The habitat that an organism lives in
An organism’s “role” in an ecosystem
A type of consumer
The relationship between a producer and consumer
primary succession
secondary succession
A species that plays a critical role in the health, maintenance, growth, or definition of an ecosystem.
keystone
invasive
engineer
predator
A species that does not belong in a balanced ecosystem, comes in, and changes it (usually for the worse).
flagnship
umbrella
invasive
predator
A species whose consumption of plants helps control the physical and biological aspects of an ecosystem.
predator
keystone
herbivore
flagship
1. Biomass is the amount of living material present in an environment. Biodiversity refers to the variety of living things that are present in an ecosystem. Which of the following would you expect to occur over time as ecological succession moves forward?
increases in both biomass and biodiversity
decreases in both biomass and biodiversity
increases in biomass, but decreases in biodiversity
decreases in biomass, but increases in biodiversity
7. Each drawing above represents different stages in community succession. Which of the following represents the correct order that the stages would occur during ecological succession?
Q – S – R – T
R – T – Q – S
T – R – Q – S
S – Q – T – R
13. Which of the sequences below is listed from the least complex to the most complex?
ecosystem → community → population → organism
population → organism → ecosystem → community
organism → population → community → ecosystem
community → ecosystem → organism → population
