1. Ecology Test Review

2. Question 1
What are the 5 levels of organization in an ecosystem?

3. Question 1 answer
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biome

4. Question 2 Name which level from above would go with each description.
Frog -
Frogs, birds, plants -
Temperate Forest -
Frogs -
Frogs, birds, plants, rocks, and wind –

5. Question 2 Answer
Name which level from above would go with each description.
Frog - Organism
Frogs, birds, plants - Community
Temperate Forest - Biome
Frogs - Population
Frogs, birds, plants, rocks, and wind – Ecosystem

6. Question 3
What is the difference between biotic factors and abiotic factors?

7. Question 3 answer
Biotic means living or once living (plant, animal, bacteria)
Abiotic means non-living (wind, soil, sun)

8. Question 4
What is the difference between a producer (autotroph) and a consumer (heterotroph)?

9. Question 4 answer
A producer (autotroph) uses sunlight or chemicals to make its own food source.
A consumer (heterotroph) needs to consume other living things in order to get its energy.

10. Question 5
Below is an energy pyramid. Divide it into 4 levels and name each trophic level. Give an example of each.

11. Question 5 answer Tertiary Consumer: Snake Secondary Consumer: Mouse
Primary Consumer: grasshopper
Primary Producer: plants

12. Question 6
What happens to the amount of energy between each level as you move up?

13. Question 6 answer
90% of the energy is released as heat, only 10% transfers to the next level.

14. Question 7
Why are many more producers needed to support the consumer levels?

15. Question 7 answer
Because there is less energy at the top of the food chain, therefore much more energy is required to support those on top. Without producers, all population sizes would decrease.

16. Question 8
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

17. Question 8 answer A food chain shows what eats what.
A food web shows multiple food chains and the flow of energy in the food chain.

18. Question 9
What are the 5 cycles of matter and why are they important to all living organisms?

19. Question 9 answer Water, Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus
They are important because these elements are essential to life for all living things.

20. Question 10
What important role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

21. Question 10 answer
They help to return nutrients (inorganic material) to the soil so that they can enter the food chain again (be absorbed by plants).

22. Question 11
What is the difference between a habitat and a niche?

23. Question 11 answer
A habitat is a “home” it describes where an organism lives.
A niche is the home plus the behaviors. It is the “job” of the organism in its habitat.

24. Question 12
Explain 2 important ways in which species interact.

25. Question 12 answer 1. Competition: interspecific and intraspecific
2. Predation

26. Question 13
Explain the three types of symbiotic relationships.

27. Question 13 answer Mutualistic: both benefit
Commensalism: one benefits, other neutral
Parasitism: One benefits, the other harmed.

28. Question 14
What are the 2 ways that populations can increase and decrease? Explain them.

29. Question 14 Answer Decrease Increase: Death
Emigration: individuals move out of a population (E=EXIT)
Increase:
Immigration: individuals move into a population (I=INTO)
Birth

30. Question 15
What is the difference between an exponential growth and a logistic growth?

31. Question 15 answer
Exponential: Individuals reproduce at a constant rate under ideal conditions; dramatic increase. J-shape.
Logistic: population rises exponentially and then growth sloes as the population reaches its carrying capacity. S-Shape.

32. Question 16
What is a carrying capacity?

33. Question 16 answer
Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular environment that the environment can normally & consistently support.

34. Question 17
Describe the difference between density-dependent and density-independent limiting factors. Use a plant as an example to discuss some things that may limit plant growth.

35. Question 17 answer
Density-dependent: affect by the number of individuals in a population. Examples: competition, predation, parasitism, disease.
Density-independent: Aspects of the environment that limit population growth regardless of population size. Examples: unusual weather, natural disasters, human activities.
Plant Example: if there is a nutrient that is lacking in soil, that will inhibit plant growth (limits plant growth) (also seen as a limiting factor).

36. Question 18
Describe the difference between primary and secondary succession.

37. Question 18 answer
Primary: The establishment and development of an ecosystem in an area that was previously uninhabited. Example: on the rock surface created following a volcanic eruption
Secondary: The reestablishment of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil was left intact. Can happen many times in the same ecosystem.

38. Question 19
What characteristics determine a biome?

39. Question 19 Answer
Abiotic factors (i.e. climate) – Most important factor in determining a biome.
Biomes of the same type have similar plant and animal species

40. Question 20
How has the human population been able to grow and not yet reach its carrying capacity?

41. Question 20 Answer
Technology has helped increase Earth’s carrying capacity.
Gas-powered farm equipment, medical advancements

42. Question 21
Explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable forms of energy.

43. Question 21 answer
Nonrenewables are used faster than they can be formed. Ex: coal, oil, gas
Renewables cannot be used up or can replenish themselves in a relatively short period of time. Ex: sun, wind water.

44. Question 22
List 3 different ways the burning of fossil fuels has changed our atmosphere.

45. Question 22 answer Smog (Air) Acid rain (Water)
Global warming caused by increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere

46. Question 23
How does habitat fragmentation disrupt an ecosystem?

47. Question 23 Answer
Habitat fragmentation prevents an organism from accessing its entire home range by forming a barrier within the habitat. Can disrupt mating habits, migration patterns, etc.
Positive: Can lead to speciation (more biodiversity)

48. Question 24
Explain how introduced species and invasive species can disrupt other organisms in an ecosystem.

49. Question 24 answer
Invasive species are introduced species that are highly successful because they invade. They can push out native species by overtaking their niche, pushing them out of their habitat, eating their food, preying on them, etc.
Introduced species can be beneficial in that they provide a new feeding relationship, or a positive benefit on their new ecosystem.

50. Question 25
Explain what it means when a community in an ecosystem has reached equilibrium.

51. Question 25 answer
If a community has reached their equilibrium then they have the same number and types of organisms over the course of many years.

52. Question 26
What is an estuary? What is a watershed? Where would expect to find more biodiversity and why?

53. Question 26 answer
An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed where a river flows into an ocean. Mixture of freshwater and salt water.
A water shed is a region of land that drains into a river, river system, or another body of water.
An estuary would support more biodiversity because there are high level of nutrients found here. Life thrives here. Lots of biodiversity

54. Question 27
The below graph shows the relationship between a predator (Canada lynx) and its prey (snowshoe hare) on an island. Identify and explain the relationship between the predator and prey’s population size. Does the predator (lynx) ever completely eliminate the prey (hare) population?

55. Question 27 Answer
When the hare increases there is a later increase in the lynx, this is because the lynx preys upon the hare. When the lynx eats the hare, the hare population goes down, then later the lynx population goes down because their food source decreased.
The lynx never completely eliminates the hare population, due to their predator prey relationship, the keep each others populations in check.