Name: Ecology

A) heterotroph B) communityC) population D) producer

1. The diagram below shows organisms in and around apond.

Which ecological term refers to all the organismsshown in the diagram?

A) predators B) scavengersC) saprophytes D) decomposers

2. Lions and hawks hunt and kill other living thingsbefore eating them. Based on this mode of nutrition,lions and hawks are classified as

A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4

3. The diagram below represents a pyramid of energythat includes both producers and consumers.

On which level is the greatest amount of availableenergy found?

A) positive, because it adds to the stability of theecosystem

B) positive, because the fish and crayfish wouldotherwise not have food

C) negative, because it decreases water pollution inthe lake

D) negative, because it competes with native clamspecies and reduces stability

4. In August 2010, the Asian clam was discovered inLake George. It is not native to that area. A singleclam can reproduce and release hundreds of offspringin a day. Fish and crayfish eat the clams but cannotkeep pace with the rate at which the clams reproduce.The introduction of the Asian clam into Lake Georgeis

A) cellular respiration in the plantsB) energy from minerals in the soilC) fossil fuelsD) solar energy

5. The diagram below represents relationships in anecosystem.

What is the primary source of energy in thisenvironment?

A) tapeworm and dog B) barnacle and whaleC) hawk and mouse D) rabbit and grass

6. Which organisms would most likely have apredator-prey relationship?

A) decomposers B) scavengersC) producers D) herbivores

7. Sharks are often followed by smaller fish that eatsome of the scraps from the organisms eaten by theshark. These smaller fish are acting as

A) A B) B C) C D) D

8. The bar graph below shows the number of species infour pond ecosystems.

Based on this information, which ecosystem is likelyto be the most stable?

A) plants and gravelB) fish, water, and snailsC) fish, plants, and snailsD) water and gravel

9. An aquarium ecosystem is shown below.

A community in this aquarium consists of the

A) provide food for native bird speciesB) can carry diseases that can be spread to petsC) increase biodiversity in New York State forestsD) disrupt habitats that native species depend upon

10. The hemlock wooly adelgid is an invasive insectspecies that is destroying native hemlock trees inNew York State. These insects can upset naturalecosystems because they

A) seeds and fruits eaten by a mouseB) an earthworm eaten by a moleC) a mosquito eaten by a batD) a mold growing on a dead frog

11. Which food chain relationship illustrates thenutritional pattern of a primary consumer?

A) environmental stability B) genetic varietyC) behavioral change D) overproduction

12. The graph below shows the size of a population of foxes over a period of years.

If the line did not stay around the carrying capacity, but continued to rise, which concept would thisgraph best illustrate?

A) occupies a difference nicheB) inhabits a different environmentC) is part of a different communityD) lives in a different biosphere

13. A stable ecosystem can have high biodiversitybecause each species in that ecosystem

A) a high number of predatorsB) an interdependence of organismsC) a lack of biodiversityD) an increase in human interference

14. One characteristic of a stable ecosystem is

A) biodiversity within the speciesB) nutritional relationships of the speciesC) a population becoming extinctD) a population at equilibrium

15. The graph below indicates the size of a fishpopulation over a period of time.

What does the section of the graph labeled A represent?

A) are independent and do not interact with eachother or with the physical environment.

B) do not interact with other living organisms, butdo interact with the physical environment

C) interact with each other, but do not interact withthe physical environment

D) interact with other living organisms andinteract with the physical environment

16. A fundamental concept of ecology is that livingorganisms

17. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below and on your knowledge of biology. The diagram represents a food web.

A) Hawks are predators of insect-eating birds, but not of seed-eating birds.B) Hawks and snakes prey on both rabbits and grasshoppers.C) Rabbits and mice compete for both grasses and flower seeds.D) Grasshoppers and mice compete for grasses, but not flower seeds.

Which statement correctly describes interactions between organisms in this ecosystem?

A) alga and fungus in a lichenB) nitrogen-fixing bacteria and cloverC) remora and a sharkD) athlete's foot fungus and humans

18. In which example of a nutritional relationship is anorganism harmed?

A) an increase in the number of carnivore speciesB) a decrease in new predators migrating into the

ecosystemC) a decrease in the size of decomposersD) an increase in the number of herbivores

19. The removal of nearly all the predators from anecosystem would most likely result in?

A) shape of rocks in the caveB) amount of energy present in the caveC) amount of oxygen in the caveD) availability of moisture in the cave

20. Which abiotic factor has the least effect on theability of aerobic organisms to live and reproduce ina cave?

A) A deer outruns an attacking wolf.B) A deer, during the winter, consumes tree bark.C) A deer and rabbit consume grass in a field.D) A deer and a rabbit are both startled by a hawk

flying overhead.

21. Which statement best describes a situation wherecompetition occurs in an ecosystem?

A) soil, water, air, and sunlightB) ducks, fish, soil, and waterC) humidity, temperature, rodents, and grassesD) trees, flowering plants, mosses, and ferns

22. Which list includes only abiotic factors?

Base your answers to questions 23 through 25 on the diagram below and on your knowledge ofbiology. The diagram represents a food web in an ecosystem.

A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4

23. Which row in the chart below best identifies the relationships between the mice and the wheat?

A) biotic factors and decomposers B) abiotic factors and decomposersC) autotrophs, only D) heterotrophs, only

24. Missing from the diagram of this ecosystem are the

A) an ecosystem that is completely out of balanceB) how ecosystems maintain stability over timeC) interaction between biotic and abiotic factors within an ecosystemD) ecological succession in an ecosystem

25. If the population of hawks in this area increases, their prey populations might decrease. Later, withfewer prey, the hawk population might decrease. The prey populations might then increase. This is anexample of

A) It will immediately affect every population andthe physical conditions.

B) It will affect the physical conditions, but not theother populations.

C) It could directly or indirectly affect the physicalconditions and any population.

D) It affects every population, not the physicalconditions.

26. Which statement best describes how a major changein the size of one population affects an ecosystem?

A) allow only one type of native plant to growB) preserve biodiversityC) eliminate unfamiliar food sourcesD) increase the rate of ecological succession

27. Homeowners have been encouraged to learn how toidentify invasive plants and to remove them if theyfind them. The most likely reason for removinginvasive plants is to

A) grass B) deerC) crickets D) hawks

28. The diagram below represents a food web.

Which organisms would most likely be adverselyaffected by a continuous decrease in the populationof mice?

29. Base your answer to the following question on theinformation below and on your knowledge ofbiology.

An aquarium container is filled with water andcolonies of aquatic plants and animals. Variousprotists are added and the aquarium is then sealedand placed on a window ledge. After a period oftime the aquarium appears to reach a state ofbalance

A) primary consumersB) secondary consumersC) producersD) herbivores

Which group of organisms in the aquarium containsthe largest amount of energy?

A) consumer/herbivore B) predator/preyC) scavenger/decomposer D) parasite/host

30. Mistletoe is an evergreen shrub that can produce most of its own food. Often, mistletoe can be foundliving on trees and taking water and nutrients away from the tissues of the trees.

The relationship between mistletoe and trees is an example of

A) ecosystems are shaped by nonliving factorsB) autotrophs convert solar energy into foodC) grasshoppers are producers that are essential for

ecosystem stabilityD) populations are linked with many others in the

ecosystem

31. The diagram below represents relationships in acommunity. After a pathogen reduced the populationof grasshoppers, the number of mice increased,while the numbers of toads and rabbits decreased.

These changes in the community demonstrate that

A) evolutionary changeB) ecological successionC) loss of biodiversityD) selective breeding

32. Abandoned farmland that once grew corn is nowcovered with bushes and small trees. These observedchanges resulted directly from

33. Base your answer to the following question on thekey below.

A) + with shrimp; – with parasiteB) – with shrimp; 0 with parasiteC) 0 with shrimp; – with parasiteD) + with shrimp; 0 with parasite

A small shrimp feeds on parasites on the skin of amarine fish. Which set of symbols represents therelationship between the fish and the other twoorganisms?

A) species interdependence is absentB) there is a lack of variety in the speciesC) no competition exists between the speciesD) there are natural checks on species

34. An established ecosystem may remain stable overhundreds of years because

35. Base your answer to the following question on thediagram below which represents an energy pyramidand your knowledge of biology.

A) lion shrub rabbitB) grass field mouse owlC) cricket frog grassD) tree mountain lion squirrel

Which sequence is an example of theproducer-herbivore-carnivore relationship shown inthe diagram?

A) the process of photosynthesisB) natural selectionC) a food chainD) ecological succession

36. Energy stored in organic molecules is passed fromproducers to consumers. This statement bestdescribes an event in

A) air to breathe B) water to drinkC) mates for breeding D) space for nesting

37. Competition for biotic resources can be illustrated byorganisms fighting for a limited amount of

38. Base your answer to the following question on thediagram below and on your knowledge of biology.The diagram represents an ecosystem in thetemperate deciduous forest biome.

A) fur color B) stomach contentsC) parasites D) size

One way to determine if the squirrel is a primary orsecondary consumer is to examine its

A) commensalism B) mutualismC) parasitism D) saprophytism

39. A symbiotic relationship exists between twoorganisms of different species. If only one organismbenefits from the relationship and the other is notharmed, the relationship is known as

A) commensalism B) saprophytismC) mutualism D) parasitism

40. Sea anemones are mainly sessile animals. Some ofthem depend on the motile clown fish for theirsurvival. The clown fish helps to provide food forthe sea anemone as it seeks protection in theanemone's tentacles. This symbiotic relationship isknown as

A) carnivores B) herbivoresC) sunlight D) parasites

41. For a producer to maintain itself, which factor mustbe present in its environment?

A) less biodiversityB) more homesC) successful economic growthD) increased food production

42. Humans have an effect on ecosystems when they usenative grasslands or forested areas for farming orurban use. One negative effect of these changes onthe ecosystem is that there will be

A) stable ecosystem that can last for many yearsB) loss of heterotrophs that cannot be recoveredC) long-term rise in environmental temperaturesD) forest consisting of only producers and

decomposers

43. Changes in an ecosystem over a long period of timeare shown in the diagram below.

These changes will most likely lead to a

A) hunt herbivores, limiting their populations in anecosystem

B) feed on dead animals, which aids in therecycling of environmental materials

C) cause the decay of dead organisms, whichreleases usable energy to herbivores andcarnivores

D) are the first level in food webs and make energyavailable to all the other organisms in the web

44. Vultures, which are classified as scavengers, are animportant part of an ecosystem because they

A) It will not compete with animals in the localfood chain.

B) It will feed on organisms that are important toother species.

C) The number of water fleas will decrease due toa lack of food.

D) There will be no effect on native species in thelake.

45. An invasive species, the spiny water flea, wasrecently found in a New York lake. These water fleaseat zooplankton, a food also consumed by nativefishes. The fleas spread from lake to lake byattaching to fishing lines, anchor ropes, and boats.Which statement best describes the effect of thewater flea on the lake?

A) Energy is transferred to consumers, whichconvert it into nitrogen and use it to makeamino acid.

B) Energy from producers is converted intooxygen and transformed to consumers.

C) Energy from the Sun is stored by green plantsand transferred to consumers.

D) Energy is transferred to consumers, which useit to produce food.

46. Which statement best describes energy transfer in afood chain?

A) all the Zapus hudsonicus in New York StateB) all the fish in Lake ErieC) the number of different species of Felis in a

geographic areaD) the number of maples, white oaks, spruce, gray

squirrels, and owls in a forest

47. An example of a population is

A) a population B) an ecosystemC) a biosphere D) a food chain

48. The organisms in a pond and the physical factorsinfluencing them best describe

A) local deforestationB) biotechnologyC) ecological successionD) habitat loss

49. In New York State, small farms that were abandonedmany years ago have become hardwood forests. Thisis an example of

A) purposely introduced an insect to correct aproblem in an ecosystem

B) used an insect to remove one insect species andreplace it with another

C) worked to increase the biodiversity in aparticular area

D) altered the equilibrium in an ecosystem byintroducing a new species

50. The emerald ash borer is an insect that is thought tohave been accidentally brought to the United Statesfrom China in shipping containers. It attacks ashtrees, eventually killing the trees, destroying animportant part of the ecosystem. The presence of theemerald ash borer in the United States can be usedas an example of how humans have

A) More organisms die at higher levels than atlower levels, resulting in less mass at higherlevels.

B) When organisms die at higher levels, theirremains sink to lower levels, increasing themass at lower levels.

C) Energy is lost to the environment at each level,so less mass can be supported at successivelyhigh levels.

D) Organisms decay at each level, and thus lessmass can be supported at successively higherlevels.

51. The diagram below represents a pyramid of biomassin an aquatic environment.

Which statement best explains why mass decreasesfrom one level to the next in this pyramid?

A) autotrophs, only B) heterotrophs, onlyC) biotic factors D) abiotic factors

52. In an ecosystem, symbiotic relationships existamong the

A) drastic modifications to the environmentB) interrelationships and interdependencies among

organismsC) limited biodiversityD) gradual changes in the climate

53. In order for an ecosystem to remain stable there mustbe

A) Species A is a producer and species B is its consumer.B) Species A is a host and species B is its parasite.C) Species A is a predator and species B is its prey.D) Species A is a scavenger and species B is its decomposer.

54. The graph below shows changes in the populations of two species that interact only with each otherover a period of time.

Which statement best describes these two species?

A) B)

C) D)

55. The chart below shows three ecological terms used to describe levels of organization on Earth.

Which diagram best represents the relationship of these ecological terms?

A)

B)

C)

D)

56. Which graph illustrates changes that indicate a stateof dynamic equilibrium in a mosquito population?

A) an adaptation to a specialized nicheB) an adaptation of a successful parasiteC) competition between two fish species for foodD) competition for abiotic resources

57. The diagram below represents a remora fish attached to a shark.

A remora fish has an adhesive disk or sucker on its head, which it uses to attach itself to larger fishes,such as sharks. This attachment causes the shark no harm. The remora fish eat scraps of food that thesharks drop as they feed. This is an example of