SNC 1P- ECOLOGY TEST REVIEW
Answer the following questions to help you prepare for your ecology unit test. The Knowledge section will
help you to review concepts and the application section will help you practice applying this knowledge to
answer questions
Knowledge Review
1. Use your notes to write the definitions of the key terms below.
Abiotic-
Aquatic ecosystem-
Biodiversity-
Biotic-
Carnivore-
Carrying Capacity-
Consumer-
Decomposer-
Ecosystem-
Herbivore-
Introduced Species-
Limiting Factors-
Omnivore-
Population-
Producer-
Sustainability-
Bioamplification/Bioaccumulation-
2. List three examples of biotic factors and three examples of abiotic factors in an ecosystem.
Biotic Factors- living
Abiotic Factors- non-living
1. Animals- bunny, puppy, kitten
1.Rocks, dirt, mountain
2. Plants, trees
2. water, ice, steam
3. Humans
3. sunlight
3.
1.
2.
3.
List the five abiotic factors that are important to all living organisms.
Oxygen- Air 4. Space
Water
5. Sunlight
Food
6. Shelter
4. List the word equation for photosynthesis
What is needed (reactants)
What is created (products)
Carbon Dioxide + Water+ Sunlight (energy)
Glucose (sugars) + Oxygen
5. List the word equation for cellular respiration
What is needed (reactants)
Glucose (sugars) + Oxygen
What is created (products)
Carbon dioxide + water + energy
6. List the 4 factors that limit carrying capacity- largest population size that an ecosystem can support
1) Food, water and oxygen
3) Predation
2) Disease
4) Space
Application Review Questions
7. Describe how humans impact one abiotic factor in an ecosystem.
Abiotic factor: Water (pick one non-living factor in an ecosystem ie. Water)
How do humans impact this factor?
We drink water and wash ourselves with it. We sometimes pollute the water, which can lead to acid
rain.
Sometimes humans waste water which in turn causes more electricity to be used.
8. List 3 important things about healthy aquatic ecosystems
A lot of fish
A lot of aquatic plants
Clean and clear water- not polluted
You would be able to eat the fish out of the lake or ocean if clean.
9. Describe one way humans impact aquatic ecosystems
Burn fossil fuels can cause pollution in our lakes and streams.
Watershed- when the water from the land runs into the lakes or streams it can pollute it.
10. Answer the following questions about the food chain below
a) Which organism is the producer Grass
b) Which organisms is at the 2nd trophic level Cricket or grasshopper
c) Which organism is the top carnivore Hawk
d) What is the word to describe the mushrooms Decomposers
11. Answer the following questions about the food web below:
a) Name one organism the squirrel eats Shrubs
b) Which organism(s) is/are producers Grass and shrubs
c) Draw (using words not pictures) one food chain from the food web that is at least 3 trophic levels
long Grass
Caterpillar
Thrush
Hawk
d) If a disease killed off all of the primary consumers how would this impact the:
- Producers? The producers make their own food. If there are no consumers to eat them they
would over populate and maybe disrupt the carrying capacity of that ecosystem.
- Fox? The fox would have a limited food supply, slight impact because most of the animals the
fox eats would not be alive. The weasel is still alive.
12. Draw a diagram showing how these photosynthesis and cellular respiration are related. Explain your
diagram using a couple of sentences. They are similar in that the products on one are the reactants of
the other. They all have carbon dioxide, oxygen, energy and water as a component of their equations.
Provides oxygen and sugars
Photosynthesis
Cellular Respiration
Provides water and carbon dioxide
13. What form of carbon is in the atmosphere (air)? Carbon Dioxide
14. Complete the following chart about human impacts on the carbon cycle
Human action
Effect on carbon cycle
Cutting down trees Trees take carbon dioxide out of the air through photosynthesis.
When we cut down trees it means there are fewer plants to
absorb the carbon dioxide and it increases which leads to global
warming. Taking away homes for animals.
CARBON SINK
Driving Cars
When we drive cars fossil fuels are being burned and carbon
dioxide is released into the atmosphere which leads to global
warming and pollution
15. What happens when too much carbon dioxide builds up in the air?
This leads to pollution and eventually global warming because carbon dioxide stores heat and acts like a
blanket to warm the atmosphere.
16. How does using fertilizers impact the water cycle?
When the fertilizer is put on grass or in fields, and it rains the fertilizers mixes with water and runoff into
the drain system into the lakes, streams and oceans. This can damage the aquatic ecosystems- kill fish,
cause over growth of plants, etc...
17. Describe how one of the factors that limit population and give an example.
Limiting Factor: Space
Description: As the population of an organism gets bigger and bigger we need to build more shelter, stores,
factories, etc...eventually if the population gets too big our ecosystem will not be able to support the number
of organisms living in the area and they might start to die or undergo competition with one another.
18. Draw the graph of a population with limiting factors approaching carrying capacity.
Plateau- carrying capacity- the ecosystem
cannot support any more organisms
Population
population is increasing
Time- Years
19. What does this diagram show?
See above boxes!
20. Humans create a lot of pollution through their actions. Complete the chart for two types of pollution
discussed in class (oil spills, plastics in the oceans or acid rain)
Type of pollution
Acid Rain
How its caused
Coal and oil being burned in
industries releasing sulfur dioxide
and nitrous oxide which condenses
and falls through precipitation.
Problems it causes in ecosystem
Rivers and lakes become more acidic and
species decline in numbers. Acid rain
chemically changes the soil plants need to
survive.
Burnt Car Engine
Overusing a car and driving it for too
long causes the engine to overheat
and burn.
When you open the hood the smoke is
released into the air causing pollution.
It is caused by being blown by the
wind into oceans or lakes. They can
also be dumped there intentionally.
This causes marine animals such as fish or
turtles to eat the plastic, or get stuck in the
plastic rings and die.
Plastics in the
ocean
21. How does an introduced/invasive species affect an ecosystem?
It can disrupt the balance of the ecosystem maybe taking up too much space or using too many resources
that other organisms rely on.
If the animal is wild and eats a lot of things it can disrupt the food chains and food webs of other animals.
22. Describe one way humans can help to heal an ecosystem they have harmed?
Every tree cut down, plant another one!
Use less garbage and more recyclable items
Less use of cars- walk, bike, carpool, public transit
Buy eco cars like electric or hybrid