Ecology Practice Test
Name:_________________
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. What is the largest level of organization from the choices below?
A. ecosystem
B. organism
C. population
D. community
2. Which of the following levels of organization includes abiotic factors?
A. population
B. organism
C. ecosystem
D. community
3. Temperature, precipitation, and sunlight are considered to be
A. biotic factors
B. population factors
C. abiotic factors
D. limiting factors
4. A balance in nature in which there is constant change but the overall system remains stable is called
A. graduated equilibrium
B. dynamic equilibrium
C. punctuated equilibrium
D. system equilibrium
5. Biotic components of the environment include
A. plants, soil, sunlight
B. soil, worms, bacteria
C. wind, rain, temperature
D. worms, bacteria, plants
6. 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.
7. Which of the following would not be considered a producer?
A. pine
B. grass
C. worms
D. algae
8. Which of the following would not be considered a primary consumer?
A. owl
B. rabbit
C. cow
D. deer
9. Primary consumers can also be called
A. carnivores
B. herbivores
C. omnivores
D. autotrophs
10. Bacteria and fungi serve an important role as
A. omnivores
B. detrivores
C. producers
D. decomposers
____ 11. In an interaction between a bear and a salmon,
A. the bear is the omnivore, the salmon is the producer
B. the bear is the predator, the salmon is the prey
C. the bear is the prey, the salmon is the predator
D. the bear is the consumer, the salmon is the parasite
Figure 2.1 Simple food web
____ 12. In Figure 2.1, which organism in the food chain is clearly an omnivore?
A. mouse
B. cricket
C. snake
D. hawk
____ 13. A relationship between two organisms in which only one benefits, but the other is not harmed is called
A. mutualism
B. parasitism
C. commensalism
D. symbiosis
Figure 2.2 Food pyramid
____ 14. In Figure 2.2, which trophic level typically contains the greatest amount of energy?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
____ 15. 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
____ 16. Imagine the following food chain: Grass
Rabbit
Fox. What will happen to the prey population if the
predators are removed?
A. The number of foxes will increase.
B. The number of rabbits will increase.
C. The number of rabbits will decrease.
D. The amount of grass will increase.
____ 17. A cargo ship accidentally dumps toxic chemicals into the ocean. These chemicals are absorbed through the
skin of many fish. Later, a bird in the area is found to have these same chemical toxins in its body. Which
statement best explains this?
A. The chemicals entered the air.
B. The chemicals entered the food chain.
C. The bird swam in the polluted water.
D. The chemicals were contagious.
____ 18. In a food chain, which of the following organisms would belong to the second trophic level?
A. hawk
B. human
C. grass
D. squirrel
____ 19. Which of the following would not be considered a limiting factor for an owl population?
A. abundance of prey
B. availability of habitat
C. amount of oxygen
D. availability of water
____ 20. Which of the following creates warm and cold seasons on Earth?
A. the latitudes on Earth
B. the elliptical orbit of the Earth
C. the tilt of the Earth
D. the elevation on Earth
____ 21. Latitude means
A. the distance from the equator
B. the height above sea level
C. the angle of Earth’s axis
D. the distance from the Sun
____ 22. Which of the following statements about the heating of Earth is not true?
A. Heat affects all locations on Earth at the same elevation in the same way.
B. Ocean temperatures do not change very much from day to night
C. Land temperatures will change quite a bit from day to night.
D. Temperature is affected by latitude and elevation.
____ 23. Which of the following features are present in a temperate rainforest biome?
I.
II.
III.
IV.
It contains the largest number of terrestrial organisms compared to any other biome.
It has between 200cm–350cm of precipitation annually.
It is one of the most common biomes present.
It supports fruit-producing plants such as huckleberries and blackberries.
A. I and III
B. II and IV
C. I only
D. I, II, and IV
____ 24. Which of the following interactions does not benefit either population involved?
A. predation
B. mutualism
C. competition
D. commensalism
____ 25. The arctic fox has a white coat during the winter months and a brown coat during the summer. The arctic fox
is a good example of
A. mimicry
B. camouflage
C. warning coloration
D. coevolution
____ 26. The flower fly resembles a honeybee, but has no stinger. This would be an example of
A. mimicry
B. warning coloration
C. camouflage
D. competition
____ 27. Which of the following organisms is considered a keystone species along the west coast?
A. sea urchins
B. coho fish
C. kelp
D. sea otters
____ 28. The niche of an organism is
A. its habitat
B. the area in which it nests
C. an organism’s trophic level
D. its overall role in a community
____ 29. When would interspecific competition most commonly occur?
A. when resources are abundant
B. when species belong to different trophic levels
C. when a foreign species is introduced
D. when there is a keystone species in the community
____ 30. Why will foreign species readily outcompete native species in an area?
A. because there are no natural predators for the introduced species
B. because conditions are optimal for the introduced species
C. because native areas tend to have an abundance of nutrients
D. because native species are unable to cope with environmental conditions
____ 31. Which of the statements about ecological succession is false?
A. The climax vegetation for all environments is conifer trees.
B. Pioneer species are the first to colonize the new environment.
C. Plant succession causes a change in the habitats of an area.
D. Organic debris is recycled, fertilizing the soil and promoting succession.
____ 32. Which of the following is an example of secondary succession?
A. Lichens and mosses arrive on bare rock and begin to trap soil.
B. A complex, stable ecosystem is formed.
C. Plants grow in an area devastated by a flood.
D. Plants grow in a newly formed pond
____ 33. Which of the following statements about ecological succession is false?
A. Ecological succession can be accelerated by human activity.
B. Ecological succession usually begins with pioneer species.
C. Ecological succession focuses on the plant community.
D. Ecological succession is usually a rapid change that can be reversed.
Ecology Practice Test
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
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B1.01
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B1.06
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B3.01
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B2.04
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B1.06
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B1.04
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B1.09
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B1.08
A
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OBJ: 2.1
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OBJ: 2.2
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OBJ: 2.4
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OBJ: 2.3
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OBJ: 3.1
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OBJ: 3.1
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OBJ: 3.2
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OBJ: 3.3
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OBJ: 3.3
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OBJ: 3.3
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OBJ: 3.3
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OBJ: 3.3
REF: HMP
OBJ: 3.3