Ecology Practice Test

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Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1. Plants are important in an ecosystem because they a. convert solar energy into chemical energy. b. cycle water through leaves. c. take carbon dioxide out of the air. d. make homes for other organisms. 2. Fossil fuels are a form of biomass created by a. landfills. b. plants millions of years ago. c. ancient cellular respiration. d. carbon from the atmosphere.

3. The role that an organism plays in the ecosystem is called a a. trophic level. c. niche. b. producer. d. consumer. 4. Insects help the growth of pitcher plants in a bog by providing a. a source of nutrients. b. drops of water. c. a way to carry seeds to a new location. d. bacteria that fix nitrogen. 5. Canadians have a large ecological footprint because a. the population is increasing rapidly. b. we use many resources. c. Canadas freshwater drains into oceans. d. we live in a temperate zone 6. Ecosystem services are benefits such as a. easy access to food. b. limits to oxygen. 7. Biodiversity is a measure of a. plant species b. animal species c. the cycling of nutrients by decomposers. d. landfill site reclamation. c. fungus species d. all of these

8. Maintaining biodiversity means a. eating a vegetarian diet to save animals. b. not eating fish to save sharks. c. protecting ecosystems through stewardship. d. creating more zoos to show people endangered animals. 9. The carrying capacity of a population is defined as a. the maximum number of individuals that can be supported indefinitely in an ecosystem. b. the maximum number of offspring a species could produce if resources are unlimited. c. the nutrient that is in the least supply and limits the population size. d. the limited range of abiotic factors range within which an organism can survive. 10. A group of organisms of different species that live and interact together is referred to as a(n) a. ecosystem. c. population. b. community. d. biome. 11. Some areas of the tropical rainforest are being cleared for agricultural uses. This is not a sustainable practice because a. the cleared soil is too rich to grow most crops. b. the soil is poor and is depleted of its nutrients within a few years. c. humans tend to build cities on the cleared lands and take them out of production. d. the markets are too far away and it is not economical to ship the agricultural products long distances.

Short Answer

(Write answers on a separate piece of paper)

12. Identify three biotic and three abiotic factors in a specific ecosystem.

13. List the four types of living things that can be biotic members of an ecosystem.

14. The biotic members of an ecosystem can interact in three ways. List these ways.

15. Identify five different abiotic characteristics of an ecosystem. How do they affect it?

16. Why is a grasshopper a consumer rather than a producer?

17. Can an ecosystem support more than one population? Explain.

18. How does competition for limited resources lead to greater biodiversity? 19. Maple trees are tall shade trees. a) b) How does this affect the ability of new maple seedlings to survive? Where are maple seedlings likely to survive and grow?

20. What is the carrying capacity of a population?

21. What happens to a population that grows beyond its carrying capacity?

22. List three ecosystem services that the forest can provide.

23. Compare the amount of biomass that would be produced in the top carnivore in a short food chain with that which would be produced in the top carnivore of a long food chain. Use complete sentences in your answer. Essay 24. People can choose to reduce the impact of their activities; for example, foresters plant tree seedlings after harvesting trees. Identify ways in which human activity changes the overall balance of the water and carbon cycles. Outline some choices an individual can make that will reduce the impact of this human activity.

Ecology Practice Test Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. ANS: A Plants are producers. They create the food energy that provides the baseline for the ecosystem. 2. ANS: B Fossil fuels are the product of plant biomass millions of years ago. 3. ANS: C 4. ANS: A PTS: 1 OBJ: 1-1 STA: B3.1 5. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: 1-2 STA: B3.5 6. ANS: C PTS: 1 OBJ: 1-1 STA: B3.3 7. ANS: D PTS: 1 OBJ: 1-1 STA: B3.1 8. ANS: C PTS: 1 OBJ: 1-2 STA: B3.5 9. ANS: A PTS: 1 OBJ: 1-2 STA: B3.5 10. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: UC STA: UBC3 11. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: UC STA: UBC1 SHORT ANSWER 12. ANS: Answers will vary. For example, a forest ecosystem can include hawks that eat chipmunks that eat acorns. This forest relies on sunlight and water to support the oak tree. The soil must have sufficient nitrogen to support the oak tree. 13. ANS: plants, animals, fungi, bacteria 14. ANS: symbiosis, predation, competition 15. ANS: water, oxygen, light, nutrients, soil 16. ANS: Producers produce their own food using energy from the Sun. Plants are producers. Grasshopper eat plants, and cannot make their own food, so they are consumers. 17. ANS: An ecosystem supports many populations. The term population applies to all the members of a particular species in the ecosystem at any one time. 18. ANS: If two species were to try to get the same resource in the same way at the same time, the less-efficient species would become extinct. So, two competing species are forced to use the resource they are competing for in different ways. This promotes biodiversity. 19. ANS: a) Shade from the mature tree prevents the growth of new seedlings. b) Answers may vary. For example, new maple seedlings will survive where trees have been removed or near the edge of the forest near open fields.

20. ANS: The population of a species will grow until it reaches an upper limit called the carrying capacity. This is the point at which the resource use by the species and the ability of the environment to refresh the used resources are in balance. 21. ANS: If a population exceeds the ability of its ecosystem to provide resources, the population will drop to a natural equilibrium. Once the resources recover from overuse, the population can begin to grow again. 22. ANS: Answers may vary, but may include the following: water retention, reduced erosion in watersheds, habitats for many organisms, food for organisms. 23. ANS: Each step in a food chain results in about 10 % of the biomass of the step below. This means that each additional step produces only one-tenth of the biomass that previously existed. Thus, the longer the food chain, the smaller the amount of biomass produced in the top carnivore. ESSAY 24. ANS: Answers may vary; the following are some possible examples: Water cycle: The amount of fresh water available is limited. Current levels of use of fresh water are threatening local resources and future water supplies. Not leaving taps running, doing cold-water washes, and taking showers instead of baths are some ways individuals can reduce their use of fresh water. Also, individuals can avoid buying bottled water, thus reducing fossil fuel use in transportation and creation of plastic, and reducing landfill. Carbon cycle: Choosing manufactured products that are made locally reduces the use of fossil fuels in transportation and hence reduces atmospheric CO2. Choosing alternative fuels may reduce the amount of fossil fuel use.