WorksheetsTriad 1 PreTest
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
What is the term for a sequence of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food?
Food chain
Biomass
Biogeochemical cycle
Age structure
Which organism is typically found at the base of an aquatic food chain?
Phytoplankton
Carnivore
Decomposer
Herbivore
What term describes the interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem?
Food web
Trophic level
Population density
Immigration
Which level in a food chain represents organisms that eat primary consumers?
Producers
Secondary consumers
Decomposers
Limiting nutrients
What is the graphical representation that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter at each trophic level?
Ecological pyramid
Carbon reservoir
Exponential growth
Genetic diversity
Which term refers to the total mass of living organisms in a given area?
Biomass
Biodiversity
Population distribution
Resilience
What is the process by which bacteria convert nitrogen gas into ammonia?
Nitrogen fixation
Denitrification
Immigration
Logistic growth
Which term describes the maximum number of individuals an environment can support?
Carrying capacity
Exponential growth
Emigration
Conservation biology
Which of the following best describes a limiting nutrient?
A nutrient that is scarce or cycles slowly, limiting ecosystem productivity
A nutrient that is always abundant
A nutrient found only in producers
A nutrient that increases population density
How does a food web differ from a food chain?
A food web shows multiple feeding relationships, while a food chain shows a single path of energy flow
A food web only includes producers
A food chain is more complex than a food web
A food web does not include decomposers
If a population’s age structure shows a large number of young individuals, what might this indicate about future population growth?
The population is likely to grow rapidly
The population will decrease soon
The population is stable
The population is at carrying capacity
Why is biodiversity important for ecosystem resilience?
It increases the ability of an ecosystem to recover from disturbances
It decreases the number of species
It limits nutrient cycling
It reduces genetic diversity
Which process removes nitrogen from the soil and returns it to the atmosphere?
Denitrification
Nitrogen fixation
Immigration
Exponential growth
What is the main difference between exponential and logistic growth?
Logistic growth considers carrying capacity, while exponential growth does not
Exponential growth is slower than logistic growth
Logistic growth never levels off
Exponential growth only occurs in plants
A decrease in which of the following would most directly reduce the amount of energy available to higher trophic levels in an ecosystem?
Phytoplankton
Secondary consumers
Decomposers
Nitrogen fixation
Given a food web, how would the removal of a top predator likely affect the population of primary consumers?
Their population would likely increase due to reduced predation
Their population would decrease due to less food
There would be no effect
Their population would become extinct
If a limiting nutrient is added to an ecosystem, what is a possible consequence for the food web?
Increased productivity at all trophic levels
Decreased biodiversity
Immediate extinction of producers
No change in population sizes
How might a decrease in ecosystem diversity affect ecosystem services?
It could reduce the variety and reliability of ecosystem services provided
It would increase genetic diversity
It would have no effect
It would increase population density
A conservation biologist is studying a population with high emigration and low immigration. What is the likely trend in population size?
The population size will decrease
The population size will increase
The population size will remain stable
The population will reach carrying capacity
If a carbon reservoir such as a forest is destroyed, what is a likely impact on the biogeochemical cycle?
Increased carbon in the atmosphere, affecting global climate
Decreased nitrogen fixation
Increased population density
Decreased resilience
