NAME: ________________________________
Fill-in-the-Blank
Word Bank
Ecology
Food Web
Population
Biomass
Ecosystem
Transpiration Biosphere
Community Nutrient
Species
Evaporation Food Chain Autotroph
Consumer
Organism
(Some words many be used more than once or not at all.)
1. Species a group of organisms so similar to one another that they
fertile offspring.
Biome
Trophic Level
Limiting Nutrient
can breed and produce
2. Community assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area.
3. Food Chain a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being
eaten.
4. Biomass the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.
5. Nutrient all the chemical substances that an organism needs to sustain life.
6. Evaporation process by which water changes from a liquid form to an atmospheric gas.
7. Ecosystem a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with
their nonliving, or physical, environment.
8. Food Web feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem form a
network of complex interactions.
9. Ecology the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and
their environment, or surroundings.
10. Population groups of individuals that belong to the same species and in the same area.
11. Biosphere contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists,
including land, water, and air, or atmosphere.
12. Trophic Level each step in a food chain or food web.
13. Biome a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant
communities.
Multiple Choice ,True/False, Short Answer
(Circle the ENTIRE answer, NOT JUST THE LETTER)
14. What are the three fundamental approaches ecological researchers use to study the living
world?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Observing
Experimenting
Modeling
All the above
None of the above
Only a and b
15. True or False: Organisms and their environment are not interdependent of each other?
a. True
b. False
16. The study of ecology ranges from the study of individual organisms to populations,
communities, ecosystems, biomes, and finally entire ecosystems. The picture below is of
levels of organization, Write the level next to the appropriate letter? (Community,
Biosphere, Population, Ecosystem, Individual, and Biome)
A. Individual
B. Population
C. Community
D. Ecosystem
E. Biome
F. Biosphere
17. What is the main energy source for life on Earth?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Water
Air/Atmosphere
Sunlight
Food
18. True or False: Matter can cycle through the biosphere because biological systems do not
use up matter, they transform it?
a. True
b. False
19. An Autotroph is defined as an organism that captures energy from the sunlight or
chemicals and uses that energy to produce food. What is another name for an Autotroph?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Consumer
Producer
Decomposer
Parasite
20. What is the difference between Photosynthesis and Chemosynthesis?
Photosynthesis and Chemosynthesis are processes both used by autotrophs. The
difference is photosynthesis uses light energy to power chemical reactions that
convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such
as sugars and starches. And with Chemosynthesis autotrophs rely on energy
within the chemical bonds of inorganic molecules such as hydrogen sulfide to
produce energy.
21. Food chains show the one-way flow of energy. Put the food chain in the appropriate order
of energy flow?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Algae  Small Fish  Zooplankton  Shark  Squid
Zooplankton  Small Fish  Algae  Shark  Squid
Algae  Zooplankton  Small Fish  Squid  Shark
Algae  Zooplankton  Small Fish  Shark  Squid
22. True or False: The Carbon Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, and Phosphorus Cycle are three
examples of biogeochemical cycles?
a. True
b. False
23. Below is a picture of the water cycle, correctly place the appropriate words to complete
the cycle in the correct order? (Evaporation, Transpiration, Precipitation, Condensation
(use twice), Surface Runoff)
A. Condensation
C. Precipitation
B. Transpiration
D. Surface Runoff
E. Condensation
F. Evaporation
24. What are the three types of ecological pyramids?
Energy Pyramid
Biomass Pyramid
Pyramid of Numbers
25. The process where nitrogen is converted into ammonia is known as?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Nitrogen fixation
Denitrification
Decomposition
None of the above
26. Heterotrophs otherwise known as consumers are organisms that rely on other organisms
for their energy and food supply.
 There are five different types of heterotrophs write the correct type of
heterotroph next to the animal’s picture? and also state what that organism
eats.
Herbivore — Only Plants
Omnivore – Both Plants and Animals
Decomposer – Breaks down organic matter
Carnivore – Only Animals
Detritivore – Plant and Animal remains and other
dead matter.
27. True or False: There are four main types of processes that move carbon through its
cycle?
a. True
b. False
Essay
28. With the animals listed below draw a simple food web? (Do not have to use all animals,
but must have at least 6 steps)? Extra points for any food web that is 9 or more steps,
must be correct though.
Algae (diatoms), Zooplankton, Blue gill, Largemouth Bass, Great Blue Heron,
Bullfrog, Mallard Duck, Grasshopper, Grass, Red-Winged Blackbird, Eastern
Water Snake, Field Mouse, Bald Eagle.
29. The graph above shows the relationship between the wolf and moose population on Isle
Royale. Looking at the graph especially between the years of 1970 to 1990, tell me what
is the relationship between the wolves and the moose? (Meaning tell me why does one go
down causing the other to go down, and also why does one go up while the other
continues to go down) And what does it mean when the lines are almost parallel to do
other? (Like around 1982). Also what is it called when one population is decreasing
causing the other to decrease too?
When you look at the graph you will see a decrease in the population of the
moose, which leads to some of the wolves to starve to death causing their
population to decrease too. You will see that the moose population slowly starts to
increase while the wolf population is still decreasing, because there are still not
enough moose to feed a growing population wolves causing some of them to still
starve. Finally if the lines are pretty much parallel the populations are at an
equilibrium which means the same number of wolves and moose are dying every
year, causing the populations to stay in check.
When the moose are decreasing causing the wolf population to decrease the
moose would be a Limiting Nutrient
Bonus Question:
30. What is the goal of NASA’s Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project?
The project’s goal is to study factors that affect global change and to assess the
ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle, as well as other chemical cycles.