Name________________________________________
Ecology Exam: Practice Test
Date: _______________ Hour: ________
1. What is the difference between climate and weather?
2. Explain the difference between a habitat and a niche using the example of a moose.
3. What principal explains why moose and caribou are rarely seen in the same area at the
same time?
4. What is the difference between primary and secondary succession? Include common
causes for each type.
5. According to succession models, which comes first, trees or shrubs?
6. Give examples of
Predator-prey relationship
Herbivore-plant relationship
Keystone species
Mutualism
Parasitism
commensalism
7. Which of the terrestrial biomes does Alaska have?
8. What are 2 aquatic biomes?
9. In which marine biome would we find seaweed?
10. Match the following chemical cycle to a characteristic of it:
a. Water cycle
b. Carbon cycle
c. Nitrogen cycle
Allows plants and animals to
get nutrients for growth
May impact the greenhouse
effect if out of balance
Involves material moving from
soil to the air through plants
11. How does nitrogen get changed from the unusable form in air, to a form that plants and
animals can use?
12.
In an exponential model of population growth, the population _________
a) stops growing at carrying capacity.
b) levels off when the population gets large.
c) keeps getting larger at a faster rate, without stopping.
d)grows and then decreases.
13. About how many people are living on the Earth today?
a) 10 million
b) 1 billion
c) 7 billion
d) 10 billion
e) 3 trillion
14. Which country has the highest current growth rate of population?
a) China
b) India
c) United States
d) Mexico
e) Japan
15.
Biodiversity of species is helpful for _______________
a) ecological stability b) natural selection
c) competitive exclusion
d) parasites
16.
Primary succession occurs ___________
a) on bare rock b) in a disrupted habitat
c) after a forest fire
d) only on dry land
17.
Where is biodiversity greatest?
a) near the poles
b) in the Arctic
c) on small islands
d) near the tropics
18. Decomposers benefit an ecosystem by
a) manufacturing energy
c) limiting the population
b) returning nutrients to the soil
d) removing toxic substances
19.
Do you think the biotic factors of an ecosystem determine the abiotic factors? Is it the other
way around? Are biotic and abiotic factors independent of each other? Explain.
20.
Are the students in this classroom (right now) in a clumped, random, or even
distribution? Explain your reasoning.
21.
The United Nations projections show the world’s population will double in the next 50
years. What are some problems that might arise with so many people on Earth?
22.
What can be done to solve or avoid some of these problems (realistically)?
What is meant by “ecology?”
24. Write the levels of organization ecologists’ use, with a short description as it applies to
YOU as the INDIVIDUAL.
23.
25. Which source of energy is missing from the diagram above?
26. Place each organism from the food chain into the appropriate level on the ecological
pyramid.
Fourth_____________
Third ____________
Second
170 joules
First______________
27. Identify each level with the correct terminology:
Carnivore, herbivore, producer,
28. How is the amount of energy that the shark receives different from the energy the algae
get? Explain.
29.
In one ecosystem lynx eat hares and hares eat willow. If there are 3000 kg of willows in
the ecosystem, how many kg of lynx would you expect in the ecosystem?
30. How is the movement of energy through an ecosystem different from the movement of
matter?
31. Calculate the percent composition of this figure:
32.
33.
34.
35.
Is photosynthesis biotic or abiotic?
Matching:
_____ primary producer W. Hawk
_____ decomposer
X. Fungus
_____ second consumer
Y. Birch tree
_____ first consumer
Z. Squirrel
Draw some woods near Dimond High. Show ground and canopy, and label at least 5 plants.
Demonstrate the relative size and abundance of the plants.
Which of the following is not true of models?
a)
They are simplified systems that mimic the real world.
b)
They can be tested by comparison with real situations.
c)
They help scientists make predictions.
d)
They exactly duplicate reality.
Ecology Exam: Practice Test
KEY
1. What is the difference between climate and weather?
Weather is the current atmospheric conditions, and changes rapidly.
Climate refers to the average temperatures and precipitation in an area over long periods of time.
2. Explain the difference between a habitat and a niche using the example of a moose.
The habitat for a moose would be the forest, or Chugach Forest.
The niche would include it’s role in the environment – so a moose is an herbivore, that is eaten
by carnivores, grazes on trees, is a large furry mammal with four feet and antlers.
3. What principal explains why moose and caribou are rarely seen in the same area at the
same time?
Competitive Exclusion Principle: both moose and caribou are large mammals that are herbivores
4. What is the difference between primary and secondary succession? Include common causes
for each type.
Primary succession starts from nothing: just bare rock/soil. Causes: volcano, glacier melting
Secondary succession starts with some species left behind from a natural disturbance. Causes:
fires, hurricanes, other natural disasters, human logging, human farming
5. According to succession models, which comes first, trees or shrubs?
Pioneer species are first: things like lichen and grasses and moss
Next would come shrubs and small weeds
Finally, larger plants like trees and delicate plants would appear.
So shrubs would come first.
6. Give examples of
Predator-prey relationship
Herbivore-plant relationship
Keystone species
Mutualism
Parasitism
commensalism
Wolf-caribou
Moose – willow
Sea Otter
Sea Anemone – Clownfish
Lichen (algae- bacteria)
Tapeworm-Caribou
Whale – barnacle
7. Which of the terrestrial biomes does Alaska have?
Tundra and Taiga
8. What are 2 aquatic biomes?
Freshwater: lake, stream, wetland(marsh, swamp, bog)
Estuary: a mixture of salt and freshwater (where river meets the sea)
Marine:
intertidal, coastal, open ocean (distance from shore)
Photic zone (depth receives light) Aphotic zone (no light)
9. In which marine biome would we find seaweed?
The intertidal and coastal zones (where light can reach and the seaweed can put down roots)
10. Match the following chemical cycle to a characteristic of it:
a. Water cycle
b. Carbon cycle
c. Nitrogen cycle
Allows plants and animals to
get nutrients for growth
C
May impact the greenhouse
effect if out of balance
B
Involves material moving from
soil to the air through plants
A
11. How does nitrogen get changed from the unusable form in air, to a form that plants and
animals can use?
Bacteria in the soil take in the Nitrogen and change it through a chemical reaction and place it
into the soil. Plants can take in this fixed form of Nitrogen.
Animals will eat plants to get Nitrogen.
12.
In an exponential model of population growth, the population ___C___
a) stops growing at carrying capacity.
b) levels off when the population gets large.
c) keeps getting larger at a faster rate, without stopping.
d)grows and then decreases.
13. About how many people are living on the Earth today?____C___
a) 10 million
b) 1 billion
c) 7 billion
d) 10 billion
e) 3 trillion
14. Which country has the highest current growth rate of population? ___B_____
a) China
b) India
c) United States
d) Mexico
e) Japan
15. Biodiversity of species is helpful for ______A_____
a) ecological stability b) natural selection
c) competitive exclusion
d) parasites
16.
Primary succession occurs ___A__
a) on bare rock b) in a disrupted habitat
c) after a forest fire
d) only on dry land
17. Where is biodiversity greatest?______D_______
a) near the poles
b) in the Arctic
c) on small islands
d) near the tropics
18.
Decomposers benefit an ecosystem by _____B_____
a) manufacturing energy
c) limiting the population
b) returning nutrients to the soil
d) removing toxic substances
19.
Do you think the biotic factors of an ecosystem determine the abiotic factors? Is it the other
way around? Are biotic and abiotic factors independent of each other? Explain.
Any answer is acceptable, as long as you support your position. Explain WHY you think what you do.
20.
Are the students in this classroom (right now) in a clumped, random, or even
distribution? Explain your reasoning.
In general, the students are seated in rows, but you could say the students are random, even, or
clumped, depending on how you look at it. Again, support what you say. There isn’t a right or wrong
answer.
21.
The United Nations projections show the world’s population will double in the next 50
years. What are some problems that might arise with so many people on Earth?
Problems with a large population size include using more resources, like water. There is also an issue
of providing food for all of the people. Other issues include the impact the human population is having
on OTHER species – every year 57 species move one step closer to extinction.
22.
What can be done to solve or avoid some of these problems (realistically)?
Any answers are acceptable if you support your answer.
We did mention in class that education and opportunities for women seem to make a large impact on
the birth rate in many countries.
23.
What is meant by “ecology?”
The study of organisms and the interaction between them or interactions between the organisms and
their environment.
24. Write the levels of organization ecologists’ use, with a short description as it applies to YOU
as the INDIVIDUAL.
(Smallest level)
Individual: ME! A single human being
Population: a group of similar organisms that can breed; the humans in
Anchorage are my population
Community: all of the different populations in an area; mine would be
squirrels, willow, alder, cranberry, moose, dogs, cats, bacteria,
shrews, birds…etc. All the living organisms in Anchorage!
Ecosystem: the biotic AND abiotic factors in anchorage – so all of the
community PLUS the rocks, soil, air, temperature, ponds,
ocean, streets, houses, cars, precipitation, etc. in Anchorage
Biome: All of the places on the planet with a similar climate and similar
species to Anchorage – so anyplace on Earth with a TAIGA biome
(largest level)
Biosphere: All the places on Earth that can hold life
25. Which source of energy is missing from the diagram above?
The sun is not included in the food chain, because although it is the source of energy for the algae,
the sun is NOT a living thing.
26. Place each organism from the food chain into the appropriate level on the ecological
pyramid.
squid
Fifth ___ 0.17 ____
Fourth___1.7_____
Third ____17_____
Second
170 joules
First____1700______
shark
Small
fish
zooplankton
algae
Carnivores
Heterotroph
Consumers
Herbivore, heterotroph,
consumer
Autotroph, Producer
27. Identify each level with the correct terminology on the lines provided.
28. How is the amount of energy that the shark receives different from the energy the algae get?
Explain.
The shark will receive 0.1% of the 100% energy the algae produce. The algae use some energy
for growing, reproducing and life processes, then the zooplankton get 10%. The zooplankton also
lose 90% of the energy to heat, for growing, digesting, and other life processes. The fish will only
get 1% of the original energy, and by the time they use 90% for their life processes and lose it as
heat, there is only 0.1% of the original energy left for the shark.
29.
In one ecosystem lynx eat hares and hares eat willow. If there are 3000 kg of willows in the
ecosystem, how many kg of lynx would you expect in the ecosystem?
30. How is the movement of energy through an ecosystem different from the movement of
matter?
Matter can be recycled through chemical, biological, and geological processes. Energy passes
through a system and cannot be re-used.
31. Calculate the percent composition of this figure:
Counting:
Sampling
Black diamond: 6 times 6/20 = 0.30 = 30%
White square: 11 times 11/20 = 0.55 = 55%
Stripes: 3 times 3/20 = 0.15 = 15%
Total = 20
32.
Is photosynthesis biotic or abiotic?
Any answer is acceptable if you support it.
33.
Matching:
__Y__ primary producer
W. Hawk
__X__ decomposer
X. Fungus
__W___ second consumer Y. Birch tree
__Z___ first consumer
34.
35.
Z. Squirrel
Draw some woods near Dimond High. Show ground and canopy, and label at least 5 plants.
Demonstrate the relative size and abundance of the plants.
Which of the following is not true of models? ____D___
a)
They are simplified systems that mimic the real world.
b)
They can be tested by comparison with real situations.
c)
They help scientists make predictions.
d)
They exactly duplicate reality.