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Food Webs and Ecological Relationships Practice Questions
1. Which of these lists all of the predators shown in the food
web?
a. cougars only
b. cougars and snakes
c. cougars, snakes and shrews
d. cougars, snakes, shrews and mice
2. The relationship between the mice and the insects is an
example of
a. Commensalism
b. Mutualism
c. Parasite—host
d. Predator—prey
3. The lake ecosystem includes frogs, freshwater algae and inorganic sediment. Which of these is an abiotic factor
contained within the lake ecosystem?
a. Frogs
b. Algae
c. Fish
d. Sediment
4. Algae leave the coral when the water is too warm. What kind of factor is temperate on this relationship?
a. Biotic
b. Abiotic
c. Parasitic
d. Communalistic
5. The deer tick feeds on the blood of the red
squirrel, deer and deer mouse. Which of
these best describes the role of the deer tick
in the forest food web?
a. parasite
b. producer
c. carnivore
d. omnivore
6. When gypsy moth caterpillars hatch, which of
these population benefits first?
a. Red oak
b. Deer tick
c. Blue jay
d. Carpenter ant
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7. Reef-building coral are marine animals with single-celled algae living in their tissues. The coral provide
protection for the algae and the algae provides food for the coral. Which of these statements best explains
what would happen to the coral if the algae die?
a. The coral would grow well because it does not have a competitor
b. The coral would die because it needs the food produced by the algae
c. The coral would grow well because it does not have a parasite.
d. The coral would die because it cannot produce food for the algae.
8. A summer camp was built near a lake in the mountains. The campers used the lake for swimming, fishing and
boating. The relationship between three organism found in the lake are shown below.
Striped fish are affected by biotic and abiotic factors in their environment. Which of these factors is biotic?
a. water temperature
b. mineral nutrients
c. freshwater algae
d. inorganic sediments
9. Aphids are insects that feed on fluids from the stems of plants. After the aphids ingest the plant fluids, they
excrete a liquid called honeydew. Ladybugs eat aphids, which are a source of protein from the ladybugs. Which
of these best describes the relationship between the ladybugs and the aphids?
a. Mutualism
b. Parasite—host
c. Predator—prey
d. Commensalism
10. Some species of ants protect aphids from predators. The ants benefit by feeding on the honeydew produced by
the aphids. Which of these terms best describes the relationship between the aphids and the ants?
a. Mutualism
b. Parasite—host
c. Predator—prey
d. Commensalism
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Food Webs and Ecological Relationships (Part TWO)
1. The diagram below shows the relationships among organisms living in an Atlantic coast estuary.
Which of these is an abiotic factor that affects the organisms in
the estuary ecosystem?
a. The amount of bacteria in the water
b. The number of copepods
c. The amount of salt in the water
d. The number of scavengers
2. The arctic grayling eats fish eggs, insects and small fish.
What is the ecological role of the arctic grayling?
a. Herbivore
b. Decomposer
c. Omnivore
d. Carnivore
3. Which of these best describes the role of the blue crab in the
estuary ecosystem shown?
a. carnivore
b. herbivore
c. producer
d. omnivore
4. The croaker, menhaden, and striped bass are fished for food. Which of these graphs show how a decrease in
the fish populations would most likely affect the copepod population?
a.
b.
c.
d.
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5. Which of these best describes the role of the krill in the food web?
a.
b.
c.
d.
decomposer
consumer
producer
parasite
6. Which of these best describes the relationship between the
phytoplankton and zooplankton?
a. Producer-consumer
b. Mutualism
c. Parasite-host
d. Commensalism
7. The energy pyramid below shows the flow of energy through
the organisms in a kelp forest ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean.
What is the lowest level of the energy pyramid that contains carnivores?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
8. A team of marine scientists is studying biotic and abiotic factors that affect the stability of a deep-sea
ecosystem. The scientist discovered a species of fish that eats other fish and decaying matter. Which of these
does and not describe the newly discovered fish?
a. Consumer
b. Predator
c. Scavenger
d. Producer
9. The deep-sea ecosystem is a stable ecosystem. Which of these is a characteristic of most stable ecosystems?
a. They contain a wide variety of organisms
b. They contain very few organisms.
c. Organic nutrients are in short supply.
d. Sunlight is not used to make food.