Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________ Block: ___________
Quiz: Overview of Ecology
(20 Points)
1. Which level of this food pyramid represents the
largest biomass?
a. Bass
b. Algae
c. Minnows
d. Copepods
3. Energy is transferred from insects to fish in this
system by —
a. decaying processes
b. radiation
c. water
d. food consumption
4. Some plant roots grow with mycorrhizal fungi. The
fungi absorb water and minerals and pass them on
to the plant and receive carbohydrates from the
plant. This is an example of —
a. mutualism
b. competition
c. predation
d. parasitism
2. Around hot-water vents deep in the ocean live
specialized communities. Bacteria turn hydrogen
sulfide into sugars by a chemical process. The
bacteria then provide food to other life forms, as
shown in the diagram. Compared to food chains on
land, the bacteria fill the same role as —
a. mushrooms
b. hawks
c. green plants
d. rabbits
5. In the graph above, what is the population of deer
at the carrying capacity of the environment?
a. 50
b. 10
c. 70
d. 30
Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________ Block: ___________
Quiz: Overview of Ecology
(20 Points)
6. Which order of diagrams would show primary
succession in an area that had never before been
occupied by living organisms?
a. D, B, C, A
b. C, A, B, D
c. A, C, B, D
d. B, A, C, D
7. In 1893, a one-million acre area of the Grand
Canyon National Forest Reserve was home to an
estimated 3,000 Rocky Mountain mule deer. Cattle,
sheep, and horses also roamed the reserve. In
1906, government hunters killed off hundreds of
mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats when the
area was set aside as the Grand Canyon National
Game Preserve. The number of Rocky Mountain
mule deer rose to over 100,000 by 1923. What was
the approximate density of the mule deer in 1923?
a. 1 for every 100 acres
b. 1 for every acre
c. 1 for every 1,000 acres
d. 1 for every 10 acres
8. Many of the forests of Virginia have been cleared
for farmland. Which of these would least affect the
time it would take to return a farm to forest
conditions?
a. The ability of the farmland to retain moisture
b. The number of viable tree seeds on the land
c. The density of the original forest on the farm
d. The amount of available nutrients in the soil
9. Each drawing represents different stages in
community succession within the state of Virginia.
Which of the following drawings represents the
climax community in this succession pattern?
a. F
b. G
c. H
d. I
10. If transpiration stopped completely, how would a
plant’s homeostasis first be affected?
a. More carbon dioxide molecules would be
taken in by leaves.
b. Fewer sugars stored in roots and stems
would diffuse into the soil.
c. Carbohydrates would no longer be formed.
d. Water molecules would not be released
from leaves.
Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________ Block: ___________
Quiz: Overview of Ecology
(20 Points)
Graph I shows the growth curve for a culture of
Paramecium aurelia. Graph II shows the growth curve
for a culture of Paramecium caudatum, a larger
species. Graph III shows the growth curves of both
species when they are grown together.
11. The food chain above can be found in the coastal
waters of Virginia. The population of which
organism in the food chain would be the first to
decline if commercial fishing over-harvested
shrimp?
a. Algae
b. Zooplankton
c. Damselfish
d. Barracuda
12. What is the term for each step in the transfer of
energy and matter within a food web?
a. energy path
b. food chain
c. trophic level
d. food pyramid
13. Ecosystems are shaped by abiotic and biotic
factors. The biome we currently live in is called a
deciduous forest. List one biotic factor and one
abiotic factor that are found in this biome.

Abiotic: _______________________

Biotic: ________________________
14. Which species has the greatest initial growth rate
when they are grown in separate cultures?
15. Which species has the greater growth rate overall
when the species are grown together?
16. What type of population growth curve can be
observed in Graphs I and II?
17. What is the most likely explanation for the decline
of the P. caudatum shown in Graph III?