Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by several suggested answers
or completions. Select the one that is best in each case.
1. Which of the following best describes an intimate ecological association in which the
organism is harmed when living on or within the host, but which generally has a negative
effect on that host?
(A.) Mutualism (B.) Saprophytism (C.) Commensalism (D.) Parasitism (E.) Predation
2. Which concept most completely describes the place an organism is found in an ecosystem?
(A.) habitat (B.) niche (C.) food web (D.) chemical cycle
3. The algal bloom in phosphate-polluted lakes results from
(A.) supplementing a limiting factor
(B.) the poisoning of competitors by phosphate
(C.) biological magnification
(D.) decreasing the lake's carrying capacity for algae
4. Which ecological unit is defined as so to include abiotic factors?
(A.) population (B.) ecosystem (C.) community (D.) biome (E.) deme
5. Plants most often absorb nitrogen from the soil in the form of
(A.) free nitrogen gas (B.) ammonia (C.) amino acids (D.) nitrates (E.) nitrites
6. An example of a secondary succession is
(A.) weathered rock -- lichen -- moss
(B.) lava -- blue-green algae -- moss --ferns
(C.) burned forest -- grass -- tree seedlings
(D.) dry beach -- grass -- beech forest
8. As an ecosystem passes through the stages of succession
(A.) its species diversity decreases
(B.) its biomass increases
(C.) it becomes less stable
(D.) its ability to withstand stress decreases
9. Competition
(A.) describes an interaction in which one organism is adversely affected while the other is
unaffected
(B.) occurs only over food sources
(C.) may result in one species dying off or being forced to change its ecological niche
(D.) occurs only between closely related organisms
10. During the summer months excess nutrient enrichment in a lake can result in the depletion of
oxygen, which eventually causes the death of bottom dwelling fish. The depletion of oxygen is
caused by the
(A.) the explosive growth of phytoplankton in the limnetic zone
(B.) the decomposition of dead matter in the bottom by bacteria
(C.) increased photosynthesis by phytoplankton
(D.) the increase in the fish population as result of the bloom
11. A population that overshoots the carrying capacity of its habitat
(A.) has unlimited biotic potential
(B.) will eventually "crash"
(C.) is perfectly adapted to its habitat
(D.) has a very short log phase
12. The brightly colored patterns on animals with effective physical or chemical defenses is
known as
(A.) aposomatic coloration (B.) cryptic coloration (C.) Batesian mimicry (D.) Mullerian mimicry
13. As energy flows through the ecosystem, the amount available to each trophic level
(A.) decreases (B.) increases (C.) remains the same (D.) none of the prior answers is correct
14. The term used to describe very complex interactions involving a series of reciprocal
evolutionary adaptations in two species is called
(A.) coevolution (B.) divergent evolution (C.) convergent evolution (D.) biogeography
15. Which is the term that describes those factors preventing a species from reproducing at its
biotic potential?
(A.) carrying capacity (B.) environmental resistance (C.) predation (D.) competitive exclusion
16. An example of Mullerian mimicry is
(A.) A butterfly that resembles a leaf.
(B.) Two poisonous frogs that resemble each other in coloration.
(C.) A minnow with spots that look like large eyes.
(D.) A beetle that resembles a scorpion.
(E.) A carnivorous fish with a wormlike tongue that lures prey.
17. A uniform dispersion pattern for a population may indicate that
(A.) the population is spreading out and increasing its range
(B.) the resources are heterogeneously distributed
(C.) individuals of the population are competing for some resource, such as water or minerals for
plants
or nesting sites for animals
(D.) there is an absence of strong attractions or repulsions among individuals
(E.) the density of the population is low
18. Which statement is TRUE concerning an ecological niche?
(A.) Within the same habitat, two or more species can occupy the exact same niche.
(B.) The niche is defined as the microhabitat where an organism is found.
(C.) The concept of the ecological niche is multidimensional including information not only in
the functional role of the organism in the ecosystem but also its habitat.
(D.) The type of niche occupied by the organism depends only on the organism's mode of
nutrition.
19. The growing season would be generally shortest in which biome?
(A.) tropical rain forest (B.) savannah (C.) taiga (D.) tundra (E.) temperate grassland
20. As the temperature of a body of water decreases with other factors remaining constant,
its amount of dissolved oxygen tends to
(A.) decrease (B.) increase (C.) remain the same
21. An animal’s camouflage disguises the organism's
(A.) silhoutte (B.) size (C.) eyes (D.) all of the above
22. All of the following are essential to complete the nitrogen cycle except
(A.) decomposers (B.) producers (C.) detritus feeders (D.) secondary consumers
23. Upwellings and turnovers
(A.) are important in recycling minerals and nutrients
(B.) result in large fish kills because of sudden changes in temperature
(C.) occur in the tundra
(D.) occur quite frequently during the year in shallow ponds
24. When we eat celery we are acting as
(A.) producers (B.) primary consumers (C.) secondary consumers (D.) decomposers
25. Regarding energy transfer
(A.) the percentage efficiency of energy transfer between each trophic level is 100%
(B.) only about 10% of the energy present in the plant consumed by the herbivore is stored in
the herbivore's body and available for the next consumer
(C.) the amount of energy transferred between trophic levels increases logarithmically over time
(D.) none of the energy taken in by an organism is available to the consumer
MATCHING SECTION
In column B select the response most closely associated with each statement in column A.
Column A
Column B
26. saprophyte
27. secondary consumer or higher
28. may be a primary or secondary
consumer
29. only a primary consumer
30. producer
A. heterotroph
B. decomposer
C. herbivore
D. carnivore
E. omnivore
F. autotroph
___________________________________________________________
Column A
Column B
31. gradient at edges of biomes
32. vertical temperature gradient in lake
33. upper layer of warm water
34. rich in organic nutrients
35. lower layer of water at 40 F. (about 4 C.)
A. epilimnion
B. hypolimnion
C. ecocline
D. thermocline
E. eutrophic
F. oligotrophic
______________________________________________________________
Column A
Column B
36. maximum rate of population growth
A. habitat
B. niche
C. carrying capacity
D. biotic potential
E. dispersion
37. pattern of population distribution
38. place where an organism lives
39. number of organisms an ecosystem can
support
40. functional role of an organism in the
community
______________________________________________________________________
NOTE: In this final matching set, choices may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
(A.) savannah
(B.) taiga
(C.) deciduous forest
(D.) tundra
(E.) tropical rain forest
(F.) temperate grassland
41. Biome including grass, hyenas, antelopes, zebras, and lions.
42. This biome exhibits the greatest diversity of plant species.
43. The subsoil of this biome is permanently frozen.
44. This biome can be recognized by its coniferous forests and relatively infertile acidic soil.
45. In this biome, agriculture is commonly practiced in a "cut-burn-cultivate-abandon" mode.
[Free-Response Questions]
Answer ALL of the following questions utilizing complete sentences and thoughts.
1. Discuss the nitrogen cycle. Also describe the symbiotic relationship that is involved in nitrogen
fixation by leguminous plants.
2. Contrast K-selected and R-selected species in at least four different categories.
3. Discuss how an exotic species invasion would affect native flora and fauna of the region. Be sure to
include vocabulary from the assigned chapters.
4. What is optimal foraging? Discuss its evolutionary benefits and include examples.
5. How can altruism be viewed as “selfish” evolutionarily?
6. Describe different ways in which populations grow. Give real-world examples of this growth and
include accompanying graphs/charts. What factors affect this growth?
7. Explain the concept of a niche. What determines a species’ niche? Can it be altered? How does
interspecific interaction determine community structure?
8. Describe two interesting defense mechanisms of biological organisms and provide examples.
9. Describe food pyramid models and describe what happens to energy, biomass, and toxins at each
level.
10. Describe the process of ecological succession from a pioneer community to a climax community.
Include in your answer a discussion of species diversity and interactions, accumulation of biomass,
and energy flow.
11. Describe the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen. Trace these elements from the point of
their release from a decaying animal to their incorporation into a living animal.
1. D
2. A
3. A
4. B
5. D
6. C
7. C
8. B
9. C
10. B
11. B
12. A
13. A
14. A
15. B
16. B
17. D
18. C
19. D
20. B
21. D
22. D
23. A
24. B
25. B
26. B
27. D
28. E
29. C
30. F
31. C
32. D
33. A
34. E
35. B
36. D
37. E
38. A
39. C
40. B
41. A
42. E
43. D
44. B
45. E
** Essay answers will be dealt with in the classroom discussion.