Name___________________________________________________
Date_____________
Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6 Test Review
1. The branch of biology dealing with interactions among organisms and between organisms and their
environment is called as Ecology.
2. The simplest grouping of more than one kind of organism in the biosphere is a community.
3. Matter can be recycled through the biosphere because biological systems do not use it up…they
transform it. What is NOT recycled in the biosphere? Energy
4. Only about 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms at the next
trophic level. Of the remaining energy, some is used for the organism’s life processes, and the rest is
eliminated as heat.
5. Each step in a food chain or food web is called a trophic level.
6. The chemical substances that an organism requires to live are called , nutrients.
7. Organisms need nutrients in order to carry out essential life functions
8. Biomass pyramid represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level
9. If there are four trophic levels in a food chain, and producers provide 2000 calories of energy to the 1st
level consumers, how many calories of energy would the top of the food chain receive? 20
Use the following picture to answer questions 10 through 14.
10. Suppose that the base of the energy pyramid consist of plants that contain 450,000 Cal of food energy.
If all the plants were eaten by insects & mice, how much food energy would be available to first level
consumers? 45000
11. If all the mice & insects were eaten by snakes, how much food energy would be available to the
snakes? 4500
12. If all the snakes were eaten by a hawk, how much food energy would be available to the hawk? 450
13. How much food energy would the hawk use for its body processes & lose as heat? 405
14. How much food energy would be stored in the hawk’s body? 45
15. What is an abiotic factor? non-living factors
Give three examples. ____________________________________________________________.
16. What is an biotic factor? living factors
Give three examples. ____________________________________________________________.
17. A biome is identified by its particular set of abiotic factors (such as climate ) and its characteristic
ecological community
18. Define and give one example of each:
a. Producer/Autotroph – an organism that makes its own food
b. Consumer/Heterotroph - an organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms
19. Carbohydrates are produced by a green plant (by photosynthesis) and a chemosynthetic bacteria by
chemosynthesis.
20. Define and give one example of each:
a. herbivore - eat plants; consume producers (cow)
b. carnivore - flesh eaters; eat other consumers (snake)
c. omnivore - eats both plants and meat; eat producers and consumers (humans)
d. detritivore - feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter (earthworm)
e. decomposer - break down dead organisms; return nutrients to ecosystems (bacteria)
21. Immigration is movement of individuals into an area and Emmigration is movement of individuals out
of a population.
22. The types of Species Interaction (Symbiosis)
Predation (+/-) – predator kills and eats prey; there is a consumer and a resource
Competition (-/-) – species and organisms compete over the same limited resources
Parasitism (+/-) – a parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism; a host is an organism
that provides nutrients to the parasite; most parasites do not kill their hosts
Mutualism (+ / +) – cooperative partnership between 2 species; both species can benefit
Commensalism - (+ / 0) – one species benefits and the other species is neither helped nor harmed
23. Flea : Dog :: Parasite : Host
24. List the 5 levels of organization from smallest to largest. Define them.
Species – group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
Population - group of the same species that live in a given area
Community – group of all of the organisms (different populations) in a given area
Ecosystem - all the biotic and abiotic factors in a given place
Biome – group of ecosystems that have same climate and dominant communities
25. What are the factors that contribute to Earth’s climate?
Absorption of sun’s energy (temperature)
Heat transport - movement of air and water currents & precipitation
Latitude – Earth has three main climate zones: polar, temperate, and tropical. Polar is cold and dry;
equator is warm and wet.
Land masses – shape & elevation
Ocean currents - cold on west coast; warm on east coast
26. What are microclimates? climate that exists over a small area & that is different from the climate of
surrounding region.
27. Microclimate is influenced by temperature and precipitation
28. What is the process by which bacteria convert nitrogen gas in the air to ammonia? nitrogen fixation
29. What causes an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide? Increased burning of fossil fuels,
deforestation, mining, volcano
30. The competitive exclusion principle says that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same
habitat at the same time.
31. Aquatic ecosystems are classified by depth, flow, temperature, and chemistry of water.
32. What is the well-lit upper layer of the ocean called as where algae and other producers grow? Photic
Zone
33. Aphotic Zone in the ocean is permanently dark where only chemosynthetic autotrophs can survive.
34. Coral animals live in symbiosis with algae contained in their bodies. The alga photosynthesizes and
supplies nutrients to the coral.
35. Demography is a study of Human Populations.
36. The wearing away of surface soil by water and wind is known as soil erosion.
37. The sulfur and nitrogen compounds in smog combine with water to form Acid rain.
38. As DDT moves up the trophic levels in food chains, or food webs, its concentration increases
39. What are the factors that affect the the size of a population?
Number of births, number of deaths, number of individuals immigrating or emigrating
40. The maximum number of organisms of a particular species that can be supported by an environment is
called as Carrying capacity.
41. The plants and animals that reproduce rapidly when migrated to new habitat where they are not native
are known as Invasive species
42. Match the characteristic to its biome.
K_____ Coastal Ocean
M_____ Intertidal Zone
J_____ Temperate Rainforest
O_____ Wetlands
I_____ Temperate Deciduous Forest
L_____ Temperate Grasslands
F_____ Tropical Savannas
E_____ Desert
H_____ Coral Reefs
N_____ Benthic Zone
B_____ Tundra
A_____ Tropical Rainforest
D_____ Estuaries
G_____ Taiga
C_____ Freshwater
A. at least 250 cm of rain/year
B. has permafrost
C. includes rivers, ponds, lakes
D. mix of fresh and salt water
E. less than 25 cm of rain/year
F. large herbivores (rhinos, etc.)
G. northern coniferous forests
H. has symbiotic relationship with algae
I. trees lose leaves in fall
J. found in the Pacific NW
K. has kelp forests
L. perennial grasses, found inland
M. includes tides, waves, currents
N. no photosynthesis
O. soil is wet part of the year
Look over your notes for Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6.
Be sure to study food webs and chains and understand how energy is passed along.