SNC1D ~ ECOLOGY PRACTICE TEST
Name: _____________________
____ / 38 marks
True/False: [1 mark each]
_____/ 8 marks
Indicate whether the statement is true (T) or false (F) in the space provided.
1. Life on Earth relies on the Sun for energy.
______
2. Photosynthesis involves the production of carbon dioxide and is responsible for climate change.
______
3. Phosphorus levels in the Great Lakes are the result of overfishing.
______
4. Nitrogen in the atmosphere is captured (fixed) by plants.
______
5. Secondary consumers are not plant eaters.
______
6. There is more biodiversity in the tropics.
______
7. Biodiversity is a measure of the size of animals in a given area.
______
8. As you move along a food chain, the numbers of organisms become less common.
______
Multiple Choice: [1 mark each]
_____/ 12 marks
Circle the letter that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. Which term best describes a group of organisms of a single species that live in the same place at the
same time and can reproduce?
a) community
b) population
c) producer
d) parasite
2. Plants are important to the biosphere because they
a)
b)
c)
d)
convert solar energy into chemical energy
cycle water through leaves
take nitrogen out of the air
make homes for other organisms
3. Which trophic level do decomposers take energy from?
a) producers
b) herbivores
c) carnivores
d) all of these
4. Which method is best suited to measuring the biodiversity of the area near the school grounds or local
park?
a) netting
b) transect sampling
c) canopy fogging
d) quadrat sampling
5. The term heterotroph is used to define an organism that
a) eats only plants
b) eats only animals
c) may eat plants or animals
d) makes its own food (from carbon dioxide, light, water)
6. Which of the following shows the correct order of biological organization from smallest to largest?
a) biome, population, ecosystem, individual, cell, organ system
b) cell, organ system, organism, population, ecosystem, biome
c) cell, organ system, ecosystem, individual, biome, organism
d) ecosystem, cell, individual, population, organ system, biome
7. Using the 10 % energy budget, calculate the amount of energy that REACHES THE SNAKE if the plant
contains about 4237 units of energy.
plant

(4237 units of energy)
a) 423.7 units

mouse
b) 42.37 units

snake
c) 4.237 units
owl
d) 0.4237
8. Phosphorus in the soil comes from:
a) weathering/erosion of rocks
b) decaying organisms
c) the addition of fertilizer
d) all of these
9. During eutrophication the lake ecosystem changes. What happens after the algal bloom?
a) Fish eat the algae and the populations explode.
b) The temperature of the lake increases.
c) The lake becomes more acidic.
d) The algae cover the surface and plants underneath die.
10. Which trophic level has the largest biomass?
a) plants
c) carnivore
b) herbivore
d) decomposer
11. Which of the following best defines an ecosystem?
a) a group of organisms that can interbreed
b) smaller organisms that get eaten by larger organisms
c) the feeding level of an organism in a food chain
d) all of the interactions between living things and their environment
12. The pattern of continual use and reuse of nutrients that living things need is called
a) biodiversity
b) sustainability
c) evolution
d) nutrient cycle
13. The population of lynx in North America is SLOWLY on the decline despite conservation
attempts by wildlife ecologist. The greatest threat faced by lynx today is the destruction
of their habitat. Because lynx need large areas of undisturbed forest, logging and road
building creates barriers and isolated populations. What risk category would the lynx
belong to?
a) extinct
b) extirpated
c) endangered
d) threatened
Matching: [1/2 mark each]
_____/ 5 marks
Carefully read each question and complete each blank with the appropriate capital letter.
Classify each of the following as either a producer (P) or consumer (C) or neither (N)
1. a polar bear_______ 2. maple tree_______ 3. the sun_______
4. algae_______ 5. a weasel _________
Classify each of the following as biotic (B), or abiotic (A).
6. air _________
7. tree_______
8. seawater_________
9. clouds_________
10. bacteria_________
Short Answer: [marks as shown]
Answer the questions in the space provided.
1. Describe what will happen with the release of DDT into the food chain. In your description the name of the
process should be included.
_____/ 2 marks
DDT → zooplankton→ small fish → large fish → bald eagle
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____/ 2 marks
2. List any two abiotic factors that might cause a population to decrease and why.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Study the information in the chart below…..
SPECIES SIZE
HUMAN INTERACTIONS
SPECIES DIET
INDIVIDUAL RANGE
BIOTIC POTENTIAL
SPECIES RANGE
Species E
small
few
herbivore
large
low
small
_____/ 2 marks
Species F
small
few
carnivore
small
high
large
a) Which species will be the most likely to be ONLY vulnerable?
Species G
large
many
carnivore
large
high
large
Species H
small
many
omnivore
small
high
large
__________________
b) Why?______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Use the following pairs of terms to create a sentence that is MEANINGFUL WITHIN THE
CONTEXT OF THIS ECOLOGY UNIT and uses additional scientific terminology in establishing the
connection.
steward/stewardship & ecosystem
_____/ 2 marks
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
mountain
lion
snakes
rabbits
shrew
deer
mice
bear
grasses, shrubs,
wild berries, seeds
insects
_____/ 5 marks
1. Name one organism at the first trophic level.
____________________________
2. Name an organism that is an omnivore.
____________________________
3. Name an organisim that is a heterotroph.
____________________________
4. Name an organism that is a secondary consumer.
____________________________
 Write the members of a food chain that ends in a secondary consumer.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Application: [marks as shown]
Answer the questions in the space provided.
You have an exciting job during the summer break from university. You are an assistant park ranger who
must determine the biodiversity of the following animals in a sector area of a three square kilometre
sector. You have been observing all summer (you had to camp there) and determined the populations to
be from observation and calculation:
Squirrels 300
Beavers 10
Porcupines 8
Black Bear 1 Moose 2
Bald Eagles 2
Deer 4
Fox 8
Rabbits 100
Human 1
1. In your report you must calculate the relative abundance for the rabbits for this sector.
___/4 marks
2. What is the species richness of this sector? ________
___/1 mark
3. Calculate the biodiversity index of this area for the studied species.
____/2 marks
4. Do you think that counting yourself in the study is accurate? Explain.
____/1 mark