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Ecosystem Interactions Quiz

Total questions: 33

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following is a producer?

a)

Lion

b)

Grass

c)

Snake

d)

Mushroom

2.

Consumers get their energy by:

a)

Making their own food

b)

Breaking down dead materials

c)

Eating other organisms

d)

Using sunlight directly

3.

Which of these organisms is a decomposer?

a)

Rabbit

b)

Mushroom

c)

Eagle

d)

Cow

4.

Which statement best describes a food chain?

a)

It shows how energy flows in one direction between organisms.

b)

It shows all possible feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

c)

It shows how matter cycles in the environment.

d)

It shows the habitat of an organism.

5.

In a food web, what happens if producers are removed?

a)

Only decomposers will survive.

b)

Consumers will increase.

c)

All other organisms will eventually decrease.

d)

The energy flow will stay the same.

6.

Which organism is a primary consumer?

a)

Grasshopper eating grass

b)

Frog eating insects

c)

Snake eating frog

d)

Eagle eating snake

7.

In an energy pyramid, the largest level represents:

a)

Producers

b)

Primary consumers

c)

Secondary consumers

d)

Decomposers

8.

Why does energy decrease at each level of the pyramid?

a)

Energy disappears completely

b)

Some energy is lost as heat

c)

Energy increases with size

d)

Energy is created by consumers

9.

Which best describes a food web?

a)

A single chain of organisms

b)

A diagram showing overlapping food chains

c)

A list of decomposers

d)

A pyramid showing energy loss

10.

What is the main role of decomposers?

a)

Store energy in their bodies

b)

Eat producers

c)

Break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients

d)

Use sunlight to make food

11.

If a disease reduces the number of grasshoppers in a meadow, what is the most likely effect on the snakes that eat them?

a)

Snake population will increase because there are fewer predators.

b)

Snake population will decrease because their food source is reduced.

c)

Snake population will stay the same because energy is recycled.

d)

Snake population will increase because decomposers produce more energy.

12.

In a food chain, the primary consumer always:

a)

Eats other consumers

b)

Eats producers

c)

Is eaten by decomposers

d)

Produces its own food

13.

Which of the following correctly shows the flow of energy?

a)

Snake → Frog → Insect → Plant

b)

Sun → Grass → Rabbit → Fox

c)

Fox → Rabbit → Grass → Sun

d)

Sun → Fox → Rabbit → Grass

14.

Which statement best explains the law of conservation of matter?

a)

Matter can be destroyed but not created.

b)

Matter can change form but cannot be created or destroyed.

c)

Matter can only be created by living things.

d)

Matter disappears during chemical changes.

15.

Why is the carbon–oxygen cycle essential for both plants and animals?

a)

Plants and animals use the same gases in the same way.

b)

Plants use oxygen to make glucose, while animals use carbon dioxide for energy.

c)

Plants release oxygen during photosynthesis, and animals release carbon dioxide during respiration.

d)

Both depend on nitrogen to create carbon dioxide.

16.

During the water cycle, which process involves water vapor turning into liquid water?

a)

Evaporation

b)

Condensation

c)

Precipitation

d)

Transpiration

17.

What role do decomposers play in the nitrogen cycle?

a)

They absorb nitrogen gas from the air.

b)

They convert nitrogen gas into usable compounds in soil.

c)

They break down dead organisms and return nitrogen to the soil.

d)

They release oxygen and carbon dioxide during respiration.

18.

Which event best represents the conservation of energy in an ecosystem?

a)

Producers create new energy from sunlight.

b)

Energy flows from the Sun to plants to animals, though some is lost as heat.

c)

Energy disappears when animals die.

d)

Decomposers convert heat back into sunlight.

19.

Why do farmers add fertilizers to soil after many harvests?

a)

To increase the carbon dioxide in soil.

b)

To replace nitrogen compounds that were used by plants.

c)

To reduce the amount of oxygen in the soil.

d)

To stop evaporation of water.

20.

Which process adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?

a)

Photosynthesis

b)

Respiration

c)

Condensation

d)

Nitrogen fixation

21.

When water seeps through soil and collects underground, this process is called:

a)

Runoff

b)

Infiltration

c)

Transpiration

d)

Evaporation

22.

Which statement correctly connects the carbon and nitrogen cycles?

a)

Both involve gases that move between living things and the atmosphere.

b)

Both depend only on sunlight to continue.

c)

Both cycles create new elements in the air.

d)

Both are controlled entirely by plants.

23.

Why is the cycling of matter important for ecosystem stability?

a)

It allows energy to be reused again and again.

b)

It ensures that essential elements are continuously recycled and available for living things.

c)

It makes new matter for producers to use.

d)

It keeps the temperature of the Earth constant.

24.

Two species of snakes live in the same desert. One hunts at night, while the other hunts early morning to avoid heat. This behavioral difference most likely helps them:

a)

Share the same prey equally.

b)

Avoid direct competition for food.

c)

Hunt the same prey more efficiently.

d)

Increase competition with each other.

25.

A polar bear has thick fur and a layer of fat for insulation, while its white color blends with snow to catch prey. Which combination of adaptations does this describe?

a)

Structural and behavioral

b)

Structural and physiological

c)

Behavioral and reproductive

d)

Physiological and seasonal

26.

If an invasive plant species spreads rapidly in a grassland, reducing sunlight for native grasses, which type of interaction is occurring?

a)

Predation

b)

Competition

c)

Commensalism

d)

Parasitism

27.

Cleaner fish eat parasites off larger fish, and both benefit. What would happen if the cleaner fish population dropped sharply?

a)

Larger fish would have fewer parasites and stay healthier.

b)

The larger fish might suffer from more parasites and infections.

c)

The cleaner fish would adapt to eat seaweed instead.

d)

Both species would become decomposers.

28.

In a forest, owls and snakes both feed on mice. If owls increase in number, what will most likely happen to the snakes?

a)

Snake population will increase because there is more food.

b)

Snake population will decrease due to food competition.

c)

Snake population will stay constant.

d)

Snake population will become predators of owls.

29.

Lichen is made of algae and fungus living together. The algae make food by photosynthesis, and the fungus protects the algae and holds water. This is an example of:

a)

Mutualism

b)

Parasitism

c)

Commensalism

d)

Competition

30.

Which statement correctly explains how adaptations relate to an organism’s niche?

a)

Adaptations determine how well an organism performs its role in the ecosystem.

b)

Niche determines which adaptations an organism loses over time.

c)

Adaptations change the ecosystem to fit the organism.

d)

Niche and adaptation are unrelated.

31.

A parasitic plant attaches to the stem of a healthy tree and absorbs nutrients. What is the direct effect on the tree and the parasite?

a)

Both benefit equally.

b)

Tree is harmed, parasite benefits.

c)

Tree benefits, parasite is harmed.

d)

Both are unaffected.

32.

In a coral reef, clownfish live among sea anemones. The fish gain protection from predators, while the anemones receive nutrients from the fish’s waste. What type of symbiosis is this?

a)

Parasitism

b)

Mutualism

c)

Commensalism

d)

Competition

33.

If two predators rely on the same limited prey species, which ecological outcome is most likely over time?

a)

One predator may adapt to hunt a different prey, reducing competition.

b)

Both predators will merge into a new species.

c)

Both predators will increase in number equally.

d)

The prey will increase and stabilize the ecosystem.