1. Ecology Test Review

2. What are the 6 levels of organization that ecologist study from smallest to largest?
Species, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere

3. Can bears and tigers be a part of the same population and why?
No, because they are not the same species of animal

4. Hawk
Which organism in the food web receives the least amount of energy from the producers?

5. Sand Shrimp
Which of the following organism in this food web obtains energy from both producers and consumers?

6. 2
Which energy pyramid most accurately shows the energy relationships between three organisms in this food web above?

7. D
Which of the following statements correctly describes the transfer of energy that initially enters this system?
a. The sea urchin gets energy from the sea otter
b. The shark receives most of the energy that enters the ecosystem
c. The crab transfers the less energy to the next trophic level than does the rockfish
d. The kelp converts energy into a form that can be used by other organisms

8. Using the food web to the left, which of the following is most likely to lead the greatest decrease in the deer mouse population?
a. an increase in the owl populations
b. an increase in the grass population
c. an increase in the pine tree population
d. an increase in the cottontail population A

9. C
Use the food web to the right to figure out which of the following are
consumers in the ecosystem?
a. Apples
b. clover
c. mice
d. nuts

10. A
For the food chain shown above, which of the following changes would have the most severe consequences?
a. a drastic decrease in rainfall, causing drought
b. a poaching of predatory hawks by game hunters
c. the introduction of a second predator that eats field mice
d. a parasitic infestation that reduces the cricket population

11. Using the food web to the left suppose the bird population declines due to a shortage of nesting sites. Which organism would be most negatively affected by a decline in the bird population?
a. spider
b. snake
c. grass
d. toad B

12. Many species of plants, insects, and small animals can live in a yard
Many species of plants, insects, and small animals can live in a yard. Which of the following is a biotic factor in this ecosystem?
a. flowers
b. amount of rainfall
c. oxygen given off by plants
d. carbon dioxide given off by animals A

13. 1 and 4 A Chart showing the classification of organisms
Order
Cetacea
Sirenia
Family
Balaenopteridae
Trichechidae
Dugongidae
Genus
Balaenoptera
Trichecus
Dugong
Species
musculus
manatus
dugon
acutorastrata
A Chart showing the classification of organisms
is shown. Which two organisms are most
closely related?
1 and 4

14. The diagrams below show the limbs of two modern vertebrates that descended from a common ancestor
The difference in the structure of the limbs represents an adaption to their
a. gender b. environment c. blood type d. trophic level B

15. The air temperature with the Arctic Circle can reach as low as -30 degrees Celsius. Which of the animals below is the best adapted to survive these low temperatures? C

16. Organisms that make up the first level of a food chain and produce their own food are classified as
a. predators
b. autotrophs
c. heterotrophs
d. decomposers B

17. D Which phrase best describes the sequence of diagrams to the right?
A. The alteration of an ecosystem by a natural disaster
B. The development of a terrestrial ecosystem into an aquatic ecosystem
C. The path of energy through a food web in a natural community
D. Natural communities replacing one another in an orderly sequence

18. C
Which ecosystem would require the longest period of time to return to its original state?
A B C D

19. What class of organisms ingests dead and decaying matter, reducing it to simpler molecules that can be reintroduced into the environment?
a. consumers
b. producers
c. decomposers
d. omnivores C

20. Fungal mycorrhizae live on the roots of many plants
Fungal mycorrhizae live on the roots of many plants. The mycorrhizae increase the capability of plant roots to absorb nutrient. In return, the plant provides support and a supply of carbohydrates to the mycorrhizae. This is an example of…
a. predation
b. mutalism
c. parasitism
d. commensalism B

21. Beechdrops (Epifagus virginiana) are leafless plants that lack chlorophyll. Beechdrops get their nourishment from the roots of beech trees, which reduces the amount of nutrients available to the trees themselves. This interaction is best described as—
A.Predatory B. parasitic
C. commensalistic D. mutualistic B

22. B Which situation best represents a mutualistic relationship?
A. A tapeworm absorbing nutrients from the intestine of a dog
B. An orchid being pollinated by a nectar collecting wasp
C. A human losing blood to a feeding mosquito
D. An armadillo rooting in the soil at the base of an oak tree B

23. C Which of these best describes the relationship
between epiphytes and trees?
A. Parasitism
B. Migration
C. Commensalism
D. Predation C

24. Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Soil
Water
Producers
Light
Consumers
Air
Rainfall
The table lists four groups of factors found in a particular ecosystem. Which group consists of only abiotic factors? 3

25. The direction of energy flow
The diagram to the left is intended to show relationships in an ecosystem. What do the arrows represent?

26. A About 10% of the energy at one trophic level is
passed to the next level. What usually happens
to the energy that is not passed to the next
trophic level or used to carry out life processes?
A. It is given off as heat
B. It is stored as vitamins
C. It is used in reproduction
D. It is used in protein synthesis A

27. B
Which of the following best explains how the milkweed bug’s coloration helps it avoid being eaten by birds?
A. Birds become confused by the bug’s coloration, so the bug has time to escape.
B. Birds associate the bug’s coloration with its bad taste and avoid eating it.
C. Birds are unable to locate the bug’s head so the bug can escape
D. Birds cannot locate the bug because it appears to be part of the plant

28. D According to the information above, which of these
best describes the relationship between rhizobia and
bean plants?
A. Parasitism
B. Opportunism
C. Commensalism
D. Mutualism D

29. C Because of this animal’s adaptations, it would be
most successful at?
A. Competing with birds
B. Making its own food
C. Hiding from predators
D. Running very rapidly

30. C
On the basis of the data depicting the gradual change from pine forest to an oak-hickory forest, after 100 years, as the density of the pine trees:
A. increases, the density of the oak-hickory trees increases.
B. increases, the density of the oak-hickory trees decreases.
C. decreases, the density of the oak-hickory trees increases.
D. decreases, the density of the oak-hickory trees decreases.

31. A student is studying the ecology of a playa lake, which forms after a rainfall in a dry lake bed. The table lists the organisms that the student observed.
Which level of biological organization has the student described in the table?
A Biosphere
B Organelle
C Ecosystem
D Community D

32. Which diagram best shows how the amount of stored energy changes going up a food chain?

33. In this diagram of a marine food web, which term describes the sea turtles?
A. Aquatic herbivores
B. Autotrophic producers
C. Third-level consumers
D. Primary decomposers C

34. The diagram to the left represents different levels of a marine pyramid. Between which two levels is the greatest amount of energy transferred?
A. R and Q
B. S and R
C. T and S
D. U and T D

35. A
A sample of bacteria was added to a culture dish containing a food supply. The dish was kept in an incubator for two weeks, where temperature and other conditions that favored bacterial growth were kept constant. The graph below shows changes that occurred in the bacterial population over the two weeks.
Which statement provides the best explanation for the changes?
A. The bacteria consumed all of the available food
B. The culture dish contained an antibiotic for the first five days
C. The bacteria were unable to reproduce until day 8
D. The temperature increased and the bacteria died

36. Short-horned grasshoppers, also known as locusts, can swarm on a grassy area. A swarm of locusts can strip an area of all vegetation, leaving it barren. Herbivorous mammals from a grassy area that has been made barren can survive-
A. If they move to a grassy area that has not been visited by the swarm
B. If they move to a new grassy area and the swarm moves with them
C. In the barren area if the swarm moves to a new grassy area and then returns to the barren area
D. In the barren area if the swarm moves to a new grassy area A

37. D
The diagram represents a pyramid of biomass. Which of the following best explains why a pyramid shape is useful in this representation?
A. Most of the food consumed is recycled at every trophic level.
B. Energy from the producers is equally distributed in all trophic levels.
C. Decomposers receive a small amount of energy from the biomass.
D. Each trophic level supports a lesser amount of biomass.

38. C In this food web to the right the bacteria probably function as…
A. Producers
B. Herbivores
C. Decomposers
D. Carnivores C

39. What must be present in its environment for a producer to maintain itself?
A. sunlight
B. herbivores
C. carnivores
D. parasites A

40. Termites are insects that consume wood fibers as their primary food source. The termites contain organisms called protozoa that live inside their guts and help them digest the cellulose in the wood fibers. The termite provides the protozoa with food and shelter. These two organisms have a relationship of…
a. mutualism
b. parasitism
c. commensalism
d. predation A

41. The reason organisms cannot produce populations of unlimited size is that-
A. Interactions between organisms are unchanging
B. There is no carrying capacity on Earth
C. Species rarely compete with one another
D. The resources of Earth are finite D

42. A humming bird feeds on the nectar of a flowering plant
A humming bird feeds on the nectar of a flowering plant. In this process the bird gains nutrition while spreading the plant’s pollen to other flowers. The relationship between hummingbirds and flowering plants can be described as—
Commensal
Predatory
Parasitic
mutalistic D

43. The Post Oak Savannah Ecoregion in east central Texas is composed of a savannah covered with native grasses, herbs, and scattered groves of trees, primarily Post Oaks. In the summer of 2011, there were serious wildfires in this region. How did the wildfires affect plant populations?
A. The wildfires caused the number of Post Oaks to immediately decrease and the number of grasses to gradually increase.
B. The wildfires caused the number of Post Oaks to gradually increase and the number of grasses to gradually decrease.
C. The wildfires caused the number of Post Oaks to immediately increase and the number of grasses to gradually increase.
D. The wildfires caused the number of Post Oaks to gradually decrease and the number of grasses to immediately increase. A

44. Hundreds of years ago, a volcanic eruption killed many plants and animals on a tropical island. Today, the island looks much as it did before the eruption. Why is this true?
A. Altered ecosystems regain stability through the development of new plant species.
B. Destroyed environments can recover through ecological succession
C. Destroyed ecosystems always return to their original state
D. Geographic barriers prevent the migration of animals to island habitats B

45. Lichens and mosses are often the first organisms to grow in a bare area. Over time, grasses and shrubs will grow where lichens and mosses grew. The grasses and shrubs are able to grow in the area because the lichens and mosses-
A. Provided enzymes needed for complex plant growth
B. Made the environment suitable for complex plants
C. Synthesized specific foods for the grasses and shrubs
D. Are the producers in every stable ecosystem B

46. B Which situation best represents a mutualistic relationship?
A tapeworm absorbing nutrients from the intestine of a dog
An orchid being pollinated by a nectar collecting wasp
A human losing blood to a feeding mosquito
An armadillo rooting in the soil at the base of an oak tree B

47. Remora/Shark. Remoras attach themselves to a shark’s body
Remora/Shark. Remoras attach themselves to a shark’s body. They then travel with the shark and feed on the left over scraps from the shark’s meals. This is an example of what type of symbiotic relationship?
A. Parasitism
B. Commensalism
C. Mutualism
D. Opportunism B