Ch2 Ecology:
True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
____ 1. A community is all of the organisms of the same species that share a common habitat.
____ 2. Biology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their physical
environment.
____ 3. Temperature, precipitation, and sunlight are classified as abiotic factors.
____ 4. A limiting factor for deer populations would be the number of squirrels.
____ 5. Organisms that make their own food are called detrivores.
____ 6. Autotrophs can produce their own food.
____ 7. In the interaction between the Canadian mountain lion and the brown field mouse, the
brown field mouse is considered the predator.
____ 8. A close relationship between two species in which both species benefit is called
mutualism.
____ 9. Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism can all be classified as consumer
relationships.
____ 10. In parasitism, one organism feeds off of the body of another organism. The organism
that is harmed in the relationship is called the parasite.
____ 11. Tomato plants, pine trees, and grasses are all classified as producers.
____ 12. Organisms at the highest trophic level have no natural predators.
____ 13. Fungi and bacteria act as detrivores in the ecosystem.
____ 14. On average, only about 50 % of the energy present in one trophic level is passed on to
the next level.
____ 15. Producers occupy the bottom of any food pyramid.
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 16. What is the largest level of organization from the choices below?
A. ecosystem B. organism
C. population D. community
____ 17. Which of the following levels of organization includes abiotic factors?
A. population
B. organism
C. ecosystem
D. community
____ 18. A frog has ample food to survive. However, because this species lives in the desert,
water is difficult to
find. In this case, water for the frog would be considered
A. a biotic factor
B. a limiting factor
C. an anthropormorphic factor
D. an ethnographic factor
____ 19. What level of organization is represented by a single cow?
A. organism
B. population
C. community
D. ecosystem
____ 20. Which of the following statements about plants is false?
A. They are detrivores.
B. They can photosynthesize.
C. They are producers.
D. They are autotrophs.
____ 21. Primary consumers can also be called
A. carnivores
B. herbivores
C. omnivores
D. autotrophs
____ 22. In order for an ecosystem to thrive, it must contain both producers and____________.
A. omnivores
B. detrivores
C. herbavores
D. decomposers
____ 23. Imagine that all the cougars in a forest population are killed. Which of the following is
likely to result?
A. The number of deer will increase due to a lack of predation.
B. The number of deer will decrease due to a lack of predators.
C. The deer population will remain unaffected.
D. Other predators will evolve to consume the deer.
Figure 2.1 Simple food web
____ 24. In Figure 2.1, which organism in the food chain is in the third trophic level?
A. grass
B. cricket
C. snake
D. hawk
____ 25 In fig 2.1, which organism would represent the fewest in numbers (biomass).
A.Cricket
B.Snake
C.lizard
D.Hawk
____ 26.A one-way relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of another
organism is called
A. mutualism
B. parasitism
C. commensalism
D. symbiosis
____27. The relationship between a human and a tapeworm is
A. commensalism
B. predation
C. parasitism
D. mutualism
____ 28. An organism’s trophic level refers to
A. where it lives
B. what it eats
C. how quickly it takes in energy
D. what other organisms it interacts with
____29. Which of these is a correct depiction of a food chain?
A. mice- cat  rabbit
B. human fish chips
C. grain mice cat
D. cougar cat mice
____ 30. The arrows in a food chain show
A. who eats whom
B. the route of food through the digestive system
C. how food travels
D. the movement of energy through different organisms
____31. Which of the following could be the beginning of a decomposer’s food chain?
A. bacteria
B. fungus
C. dead leaves
D. worms
____32. What does a pyramid of biomass represent?
A. the energy available at each trophic level
B. the number of organisms at each trophic level
C. the number of food chains at each trophic level
D. the total mass of living things at each trophic level
____33. In a food chain, which of the following organisms would belong to the second trophic
level?
A. hawk
B. human
C. grass
D. squirrel
____34. Which of the following would not be considered a limiting factor for an owl population?
A. abundance of prey
B. availability of shelter
C. amount of sunlight
D. availability of water
___ 35. Nitrogen fixation means putting nitrogen into….
A. the soil
B. the atmosphere
Pick the one best answer
36. ____________________ is the study of how organisms interact with each other and their
environment. (A. Biology B. Ecology)
37. The process in which organisms use water, CO2 and sunlight to produce their own food is
called ____________________.(A. Chemosynthesis B. Photosynthesis)
38. Seastars typically eat clams. Thus, clams in this interaction are called the
____________________.(A. Predator B. Prey)
39. There are many bacteria that live in our intestines. We provide the bacteria with a warm,
safe habitat. In turn, the bacteria break down some of our undigested matter releasing vitamins.
This relationship is best described as ____________________.(A.Commensalism B.
Mutualism)
40. A graphical depiction of many food chains interacting is called a
_________________________. (A. Food pyramid B. Food web)