Chapter 2 – Principles of Ecology
Chapter Assessment
Reviewing Vocabulary:
A. autotroph
F. trophic level
B. habitat
G. decomposer
C. community
D. heterotroph
E. parasitism
_____ 1. Tiny organisms that break down and absorb nutrients from dead organisms
_____ 2. Obtain energy by feeding on other living organisms.
_____ 3. Step in the passage of energy and matter through an ecosystem.
_____ 4. Place where an organism lives out its life.
_____ 5. Relationship between species in which one species benefits at the expense of another
_____ 6. Manufactures nutrients using energy from the sun or from chemical compounds
_____ 7. Collection of interacting populations
A. ecology
F. commensalisms
B. food chain
G. biosphere
C. scavenger
D. mutualism
E. food web
_____ 8. Simple model for showing how matter and energy move through an ecosystem
_____ 9. Eats dead organisms
_____ 10. Portion of Earth that supports life
_____ 11. Relationship between species in which one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited
_____ 12. Network of interconnected food chains
_____ 13. Relationship between species in which both species benefit
_____ 14. Study of interactions among organisms and their environment
Understanding Main Ideas:
Circle the word or phrase in parentheses that correctly completes the statement.
15. Wind, humidity, and ( mosses , rocks ) would be considered abiotic factors in a terrestrial ecosystem.
16. The size of a population does not directly depend on the availability of ( food , decomposers ).
17. Some energy that passes through a food chain is lost to the environment as ( heat , matter ).
18. Both the alga and the fungus of a lichen benefit from their relationship. This relationship is one of
(mutualism , commensalisms ).
Circle the word or phrase that includes all the rest.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
trophic level, food web, food chain
parasitism, commensalisms, mutualism, symbiosis
organism, ecosystem, population, community
ecosystem, biotic factors, biosphere, abiotic factors
omnivores, consumers, carnivores, herbivores, scavengers, decomposers
For questions 24-27 refer to the food chain picture. In the space at the left, write the letter of the word or phrase
that best completes the statement or answers the question.
________ 24. Energy flows from
a. coyotes to grasses
b. cats to mice
________ 25. The coyotes are
a. herbivores
b. third-order Heterotrophs
c. mice to cats
d. coyotes to cats
c. second-order Heterotrophs
d. decomposers
________ 26. How many trophic levels does the food chain include?
a. four
b. one
c. three
d. two
________ 27. As matter and energy from grasses to coyotes, the amount of available energy
a. always decreases and population size always increases
b. always increases and population size always decreases
c. always decreases but population size may increase or decrease
d. increases or decreases but population size remains the same
Applying Scientific Methods
Read the passage under Applying Scientific Methods about the milkweed plant. Answer the questions below:
28. Did the scientist conduct quantitative or qualitative research? __________________________________
29. What level of organization in an ecosystem is represented by the milkweed and the organism that visit or
live on the plant?
a. Organism
b. Population
c. Community
d. Ecosystem
e. Biosphere
30. Based on the scientists’ observations, what is one food chain that begins with a milkweed plant?
31. What is the niche of the harvestmen? ________________________________
32. How would you describe the symbiosis relationship between the milkweed plant and bees?
a. Mutualism
b. Commensalism
c. Parasitism