Ecology
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. Grass is eaten by a prairie dog. The prairie dog is eaten by a coyote. This is an example of
a. an abiotic element. b. an omnivore. c. a herbivore. d. a food chain.
2. A bird eats a worm. Who is the predator?
a. the worm b. the bird c. both the bird and the worm d. neither the bird nor the worm
3. What do several different populations living together make?
a. a biosphere b. an organism c. a community d. an ecosystem
4. Which is an example of an abiotic element changing an area?
a. introducing a new type of grass b. water flooding the area c. two species of birds competing d. algae
growing on crabgrass
5. Grass that gains energy from the sun is an example of a
a. consumer. b. parasite. c. decomposer. d. producer.
6. In a food web arrows point in just one direction because they show
a. which animal is bigger. b. which animals are related. c. how energy goes to the animal that is eating.
d. how energy goes to the animal that is eaten.
7. Two members of the same species fight over who gets a certain food. Members of different species try to take
over a certain nesting area. These are both examples of
a. community. b. competition. c. mutualism. d. commensalism.
8. If scientists are studying the egrets, herons, marsh crabs, and cordgrass, but not the water or rocks in a salt
marsh, what level of organization would they be studying?
a. individual organism b. population c. community d. ecosystem
9. Coyotes prey on prairie dogs. In order for the prairie dog population to survive, how many prairie dogs are
needed compared to coyotes?
a. fewer prairie dogs than coyotes b. many more prairie dogs than coyotes c. about the same number of
prairie dogs as coyotes d. there is no relationship between the number of prairie dogs and coyotes
10. When there is a lot of pollution, rain can be acidic, harming plants and animals. What is this an example of?
a. competition between a population and a community b. a mutualistic type of symbiosis c. an abiotic factor
affecting an ecosystem d. an individual affecting a community
11. What effect does biodiversity have on a community?
a. It makes destruction by insects impossible. b. It makes primary succession more likely. c. It enables
species to survive in a desert. d. It enables the community to withstand changes.
12. The speed of water is an important abiotic factor in a freshwater ecosystem because
a. a tributary has different plants than a river. b. faster water has a higher salt content. c. animals must adapt
so they are not washed away. d. animals cannot live in fast-moving water.
____ 13. What word describes the mammals, fish, birds, and plants that live in an environment?
a. abiotic b. the population c. the biosphere d. biotic
____ 14. A community is several species of animals interacting, while a population is
a. members of one species in an area. b. the biotic and abiotic elements of an area. c. the nonliving elements
of a habitat. d. a single organism.
____ 15. The five levels of organization in the environment, from first to fifth level are
a. organism, population, biosphere, ecosystem, community. b. organism, population, biotic elements, abiotic
elements, community. c. organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere. d. organism, population,
biosphere, abiotic elements, ecology.
____ 16. Which of the following is abiotic?
a. a gar b. an alligator c. grass d. water
____ 17. Organisms that can make their own food from sunlight are called
a. decomposers. b. consumers. c. producers. d. carnivores.
____ 18. Grass is eaten by a prairie dog. The prairie dog is eaten by a coyote. This is an example of
a. an abiotic element. b. an omnivore. c. a herbivore. d. a food chain.
____ 19. One food web arrow goes from a prairie dog to a coyote, showing that
a. the coyote is bigger. b. the coyote eats the prairie dog. c. the prairie dog eats the coyote. d. the prairie
dog is a producer.
____ 20. Without wolves, Yellowstone Park had
a. too many elk. b. too much grass. c. too many rabbits. d. too many cows.
____ 21. The largest population an environment can support is its
a. carrying capacity. b. limiting factor. c. population. d. symbiosis.
____ 22. One type of competition involves individuals competing for resources. The other involves competition
between different
a. organisms. b. populations. c. environments. d. relationships.
____ 23. Young wasps are eating the tomato hornworm that is their host. What is this an example of?
a. commensalism b. mutualism c. parasitism d. competition
____ 24. A bird eats a worm. Who is the predator?
a. the worm b. the bird c. both the bird and the worm d. neither the bird nor the worm
____ 25. Rocks, temperature, and water are what part of the environment?
a. biotic b. abiotic c. population d. living
____ 26. What do several different populations living together make?
a. a biosphere b. an organism c. a community d. an ecosystem
____ 27. Which is an example of an abiotic element changing an area?
a. introducing a new type of grass b. water flooding the area c. two species of birds competing d. algae
growing on crabgrass
____ 28. Grass that gains energy from the sun is an example of a
a. consumer. b. parasite. c. decomposer. d. producer.
____ 29. A diagram with arrows showing energy flow from grass, to a rabbit, to a fox is
a. an energy pyramid. b. a food web. c. a food chain. d. a population chart.
____ 30. In a food web, arrows point in just one direction because they show
a. which animal is bigger. b. which animals are related. c. how energy goes to the animal that is eating.
d. how energy goes to the animal that is eaten.
____ 31. After one species disappears, the other species in the ecosystem
a. benefit. b. are thrown out of balance. c. die. d. are unaffected.
____ 32. Limiting factors determine an area’s carrying capacity because
a. the number of animals is limited. b. ecosystems are small. c. animals need resources to survive. d. the
number of animals is unlimited.
____ 33. Two members of the same species fight over who gets a certain food. Members of different species try to take
over a certain nesting area. These are both examples of
a. community. b. competition. c. mutualism. d. commensalism.
____ 34. An environmental study reporting on the way temperature, water quality, and minerals affect the animals in a
salt marsh would be considering which level of organization?
a. individual organism b. population c. community d. ecosystem
____ 35. The plants a ladybug lives on, the aphids the ladybug eats, and the birds that would eat the ladybug are all
a. biotic elements of an ecosystem. b. predators. c. producers. d. abiotic elements of an ecosystem.
____ 36. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are all
a. decomposers. b. producers. c. predators. d. consumers.
____ 37. Animals that eat a variety of meats, fruits, and vegetables are
a. producers. b. carnivores. c. omnivores. d. herbivores.
____ 38. A scientist studying the way egrets, herons, and crabs interact, who is not interested in abiotic factors such as
the rocks, water, and temperature, is studying what level of environmental organization?
a. population b. ecosystem c. community d. biosphere
____ 39. Rocks, temperature, and water are what kind of things?
a. biotic b. abiotic c. population d. living
____ 40. What level of organization comes after population?
a. biosphere b. organism c. community d. ecosystem
____ 41. What word describes a community of organisms and their environment?
a. individuals b. ecosystem c. population d. community
____ 42. What living things make food from sunlight?
a. consumers b. parasites c. decomposers d. producers
____ 43. What happened to other living things when the wolves no longer lived in Yellowstone?
a. They were better off. b. They were out of balance. c. They died. d. They were not changed.
____ 44. When is food a limiting factor?
a. when a population is large b. when there’s too much food c. when a population is small d. when there’s
too much water
____ 45. What is an animal that catches and eats another animal called?
a. prey b. predator c. producer d. herbivore
____ 46. In which relationship do living things help each other?
a. parasitism b. mutualism c. organism d. predator
____ 47. Coyotes prey on prairie dogs. In order for the prairie dog population to survive, how many prairie dogs are
needed compared to coyotes?
a. fewer prairie dogs than coyotes b. many more prairie dogs than coyotes c. about the same number of
prairie dogs as coyotes d. There is no relationship between the number of prairie dogs and coyotes.
____ 48. What kind of elk do wolves kill?
a. the strong and healthy b. the smart and quick c. the old, injured, and diseased d. the energetic and fast
____ 49. When there is a lot of pollution, rain can be acidic, harming plants and animals. What is this an example of?
a. competition between a population and a community b. a mutualistic type of symbiosis c. an abiotic factor
affecting an ecosystem d. an individual affecting a community
____ 50. It has been a very harsh winter. The ground is covered in snow, and the trees are covered in ice. Many deer
die because they cannot find food. This is an example of
a. producers providing food. b. a limiting factor controlling a population. c. a biosphere in trouble.
d. predators harvesting the weak and the sick.
____ 51. Bears eat fruits such as berries and animals such as fish. They hibernate in the winter. They give birth to live
young. Which of these terms applies to bears?
a. They are decomposers. b. They are at the bottom of the energy pyramid. c. They have a mutualistic
relationship with berries. d. They are consumers.
____ 52. Suppose there were a bird that always sat on a horse's back and ate the insects that would bite the horse. What
would this be an example of?
a. mutualism b. parasitism c. competition d. commensalism
____ 53. When a parasitic worm invades an animal, who is the host?
a. the producer b. the animal c. the decomposer d. the worm
____ 54. As loggers take more trees out of a forest, there are fewer places for a certain type of bird to build a nest.
What is this an example of?
a. a predator attacking prey b. the forest's carrying capacity becoming smaller c. a food web becoming
smaller d. a symbiotic relationship
Use the image below to answer the following questions.
____ 55. The arrows on the food web show that
a. prairie dogs eat grass. b. deer eat prairie dogs. c. squirrels eat grass. d. squirrels eat coyotes.
____ 56. Three organisms on the food web have arrows pointing away from them and no arrows pointing toward them.
They are
a. omnivores. b. herbivores. c. decomposers. d. producers.
____ 57. Three organisms on the food web have arrows pointing toward them but no arrows pointing away from them.
This is because
a. they make their own food. b. they give energy to others. c. nothing shown eats them. d. they need no
energy.
____ 58. What does the arrow between the grasshopper and the coyote represent?
a. energy flowing from producers to consumers b. energy flowing from consumers to producers c. energy
flowing from the coyote to the grasshopper d. energy flowing from the grasshopper to the coyote
Completion
Complete each sentence or statement.
Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
coniferous forest
tropical rain forest
savanna
59. It is winter. You are in a place with tall trees full of leaves. It is 0°C. You are likely in a
____________________.
60. You are in a place with many trees that receives 300 cm of rainfall per year. You are likely in a
_________________________.
Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
intertidal
coral reef
Sargasso Sea
61. Most organisms in the ____________________ ecosystem could not live in cold water.
Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
community
prey
biosphere
ecology
predator
symbiosis
coevolution
commensalism
62. Populations of organisms that live in and interact in a particular area form a(n) ____________________.
63. The study of interactions between living things and their environment is ____________________.
64. A spider that feeds on live insects is an example of a(n) ____________________.
65. The part of Earth where life exists is the ____________________.
66. When the close interaction between two organisms results in long-term changes in both organisms,
____________________ has taken place.
Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
population
biotic
abiotic
community
67. A river carrying nutrients is a(n) ____________________ factor that helps the ecosystem.
68. Plants, animals, and all living things are ____________________ factors.
69. Two or more individuals of the same kind living together are a(n) ____________________.
70. All the populations of living things in the same place are a(n) ____________________.
Matching
Match each item with the correct statement.
a. temperate grassland
c. alpine tundra
b. coniferous forest
d. tropical rain forest
____ 71. nearly 1,400 species of birds live here
____ 72. has trees with cones
____ 73. main plants are grasses
____ 74. found on mountain tops
Match each item with the correct statement.
a. nonpoint-source pollution
e. renewable resource
b. conservation
f. pollution
c. overpopulation
g. point-source pollution
d. nonrenewable resource
____ 75. the preservation and wise use of natural resources
____ 76. an unwanted change in the environment that is caused by harmful substances
____ 77. pollution that comes from only one source
____ 78. a natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which it is consumed
____ 79. a natural resource that forms at a rate slower than it is consumed
____ 80. too many organisms in an area for the resources available
Match each item with the correct statement below.
a. herbivore
d. food web
b. food chain
e. omnivore
c. carnivore
f. energy pyramid
____ 81. an organism that eats only animals
____ 82. a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem’s loss of energy
____ 83. an organism that eats both plants and animals
____ 84. an organism that eats only plants
____ 85. a diagram that shows how energy in food flows from one organism to another
____ 86. a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
Short Answer
87. Certain ants take a sweet liquid called honeydew from tiny insects called aphids. In exchange for the
honeydew, the ants protect the aphids from predators. What kind of relationship is this? Explain your answer.
88. Using the example of the salt marsh, explain why ecologists state that saving a large animal, such as the heron
or egret, can also save an ecosystem.
89. How might an omnivore be a link both at the beginning of a food web and near the end?
90. How does the energy in a fish get into the fish? How does the energy stored in the fish get released from the
fish?
Other
INTERPRETING GRAPHICS
Use the art below to answer the following questions.
91. The arrows on the food web show that
a. prairie dogs eat grass.
c squirrels eat grass.
b. deer eat prairie dogs.
d. squirrels eat coyotes.
92. Three organisms on the food web have arrows pointing away from them and no arrows pointing toward them.
They are
a. omnivores.
c. decomposers.
b. herbivores.
d. producers.
93. What does the arrow between the grasshopper and the coyote represent?
a. energy flowing from producers to consumers
b. energy flowing from consumers to producers
c. energy flowing from the coyote to the grasshopper
d. energy flowing from the grasshopper to the coyote
INTERPRETING GRAPHICS
Use the figure below to answer the following questions.
94. How many of the continental 48 states lost over 80% of their wetlands during this period?
95. What percentage of wetlands acreage did your state lose between the 1780s and the 1980s?
Ecology
Answer Section
MULTIPLE
CHOICE
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D
B
C
B
D
C
B
C
B
C
D
C
D
A
C
D
C
D
B
A
A
B
C
B
B
C
B
D
C
C
B
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B
D
A
D
C
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B
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B
D
B
A
B
B
B
48.
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C
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B
D
A
A
B
A
D
C
D
COMPLETION
59. ANS: coniferous forest
60. ANS: tropical rain forest
61. ANS: coral reef
62. ANS: community
63. ANS: ecology
64. ANS: predator
65. ANS: biosphere
66. ANS: coevolution
67. ANS: abiotic
68. ANS: biotic
69. ANS: population
70. ANS: community
MATCHING
71. ANS: D
72. ANS: B
73. ANS: A
74. ANS: C
75. ANS: B
76. ANS: F
77. ANS: G
78. ANS: E
79. ANS: D
80. ANS: C
81. ANS: C
82. ANS: F
83. ANS: E
84. ANS: A
85. ANS: B
86. ANS: D
SHORT ANSWER
87. ANS:
mutualism; The aphids
and ants help each other.
88. ANS:
The heron and the egret
can survive only if the salt
marsh remains intact to
provide shelter and food
for the organisms that the
birds need to eat.
89. ANS:
Sample answer: An omnivore
can be at the beginning
because it eats plants. It also
can be near the end because it
eats other consumers or can
be eaten by other consumers.
90. ANS:
Sample answer: The fish
stores some of the energy it
gets from the food it eats.
The energy in the fish is
released from the fish when
the fish is eaten by another
organism.
OTHER
91.
92.
93.
94.
ANS: A
ANS: D
ANS: D
ANS:
Seven states have lost over
80% of their wetlands.
95. ANS:
Answers will vary, depending
on which state the student
lives in.