Deck 24: Principles of Ecology

Question 1

Organisms in which classification do not depend on others for nutrients? ​

A)herbivore
B)carnivore
C)omnivore
D)decomposer
E)photosynthetic organisms

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which classification includes fungi and bacteria? ​

A)herbivore
B)carnivore
C)omnivore
D)decomposer
E)photosynthetic organism

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The large-scale community of organisms in a major ecological setting is a(n)____. ​

A)environmental system
B)habitat
C)biome
D)ecosystem
E)niche

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which classification includes animals that eat only meat?

A)herbivore
B)carnivore
C)omnivore
D)decomposer
E)photosynthetic organism

Question 5

Herbivores represent ____. ​

A)primary consumer
B)secondary consumer
C)tertiary consumers
D)primary producers
E)secondary producers

Question 6

Within an ecosystem, plants are known as producers or ____. ​

A)heterotrophs
B)consumers
C)"other feeders"
D)decomposers
E)autotrophs

Question 7

Which term describes one or more communities interacting with each other and the physical environment through the flow of energy and cycling of materials? ​

A)meta-community
B)habitat
C)biome
D)ecosystem
E)niche

Question 8

Farmland that is under regular and continued tillage will not ____.

A)undergo succession
B)produce a climax community
C)experience competition
D)suffer from the effects of disturbance
E)develop species diversity

Question 9

Secondary succession occurs ____. ​

A)after a fire
B)on a new sand dune
C)on bare rock
D)immediately after the formation of a man-made lake
E)on a newly-formed volcanic island

Question 10

Which classification is the best description of humans? ​

A)herbivore
B)carnivore
C)omnivore
D)decomposer
E)photosynthetic organism

Question 11

Humans and house flies are examples of what type of species? ​

A)generalist
B)specialist
C)dominant
D)primary
E)biotic

Question 12

The interacting populations of all species within a habitat is a(n)____. ​

A)environmental system
B)community
C)biome
D)ecosystem
E)niche

Question 13

The place where a species normally lives is a(n)____. ​

A)environmental system
B)habitat
C)biome
D)ecosystem
E)niche

Question 14

An organism in an ecosystem that feeds off others is a(n)____. ​

A)heterotroph
B)producer
C)autotroph
D)photosynthetic organism
E)plant

Question 15

Nearly every ecosystem utilizes ____. ​

A)freshwater
B)energy derived from carbon dioxide
C)energy produced from decomposition
D)energy from the sun
E)oxygen released by metabolic pathways

Question 16

The physical, chemical and biological conditions a species needs to survive and reproduce is a(n)____. ​

A)meta-community
B)habitat
C)biome
D)ecosystem
E)niche

Question 17

Which animal is classified as a primary consumers? ​

A)lion
B)bear
C)human
D)fish
E)dog

Question 18

Which species lives in "disturbed habitats"? ​

A)fish
B)deer
C)insects
D)humans
E)birds

Question 19

The climax community ____. ​

A)is formed by species with the greatest range of environmental tolerance
B)is the most common community found in an area
C)changes over time
D)is well adapted to the climate and persists until the climate changes
E)is seasonal

Question 20

What is the study of the interactions of organisms with one another and their physical environment? ​

A)biology
B)physiology
C)microbiology
D)ecology
E)environmental science

Question 21

At the bottom of an energy pyramid are the ____. ​

A)primary producers
B)secondary producers
C)primary consumers
D)secondary consumers
E)tertiary consumers

Question 22

The graphical representation that shows how usable energy declines as it flows through an ecosystem is a(n)____.

A)Punnett square
B)energy flow chart
C)energy pyramid
D)ecological pyramid
E)biomass pyramid

Question 23

Primary productivity is dependent upon all of the following EXCEPT for the ____.

A)number of plants in the ecosystem
B)rate of photosynthesis
C)rate of energy use by plants
D)sunlight and rainfall amounts
E)levels of oxygen

Question 24

Which combination of organisms could be expected to survive in isolation from other forms of life available? ​

A)producers and decomposers
B)producers and carnivores
C)carnivores and decomposers
D)herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers
E)producers, herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers

Question 25

The total energy an ecosytem's producers store in a given amount of time is referred to as____.

A)photosynthetic flow
B)primary productivity
C)energy flow
D)energy production
E)biomass flow

Question 26

The simple food chain: grass → zebra → lion provides a good example of a pyramid of ____.

A)energy only
B)height only
C)biomass only
D)energy and height
E)energy and biomass

Question 27

The movements of nutrients from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment is a(n)____.

A)energy-mass cycle
B)global cycle
C)solar-plant cycle
D)sedimentary cycle
E)biogeochemical cycle

Question 28

What accounts for the majority of mass within a biomass pyramid of a lake? ​

A)plants
B)snakes
C)invertebrates
D)small fish
E)large-mouth bass

Question 29

In which cycles do non-gaseous nutrients such as phosphorous move?

A)atmospheric cycles
B)global cycles
C)water cycles
D)sedimentary cycles
E)plant-animal cycles

Question 30

The graphic representation of energy relationships in an ecosystem is a(n)____.

A)Punnett square
B)energy flow chart
C)energy pyramid
D)ecological pyramid
E)biomass pyramid

Question 31

All living organisms are dependent upon plants because ____. ​

A)plants produce carbon dioxide as a by-product of photosynthesis
B)as producers, they form the base of food chains
C)they function to prevent erosion and reduce desertification
D)they remove oxygen from the atmosphere
E)they contribute to the problems generated by the greenhouse effect

Question 32

In which location is the smallest tier of a biomass pyramid on the bottom?

A)in the desert
B)in forest habitats
C)in tundra habitats
D)in the sea
E)in prairie habitats

Question 33

Feeding levels in an ecosystem are also known as ____. ​

A)nutritional levels
B)nourishment levels
C)trophic levels
D)niche levels
E)biome levels

Question 34

Most of the energy within an ecosystem is lost ____. ​

A)when organisms disperse ​
B)when organisms die
C)as a result of metabolism
D)by organisms at the top of the food web
E)by organisms at the bottom of the food web

Question 35

Which organism would be found at the top of a lake biomass pyramid? ​

A)algae
B)rooted plants
C)invertebrates
D)small fish
E)large-mouth bass

Question 36

In which cycles is the nutrient found in a gas form? ​

A)atmospheric cycles
B)global cycles
C)water cycles
D)sedimentary cycles
E)plant-animal cycles

Question 37

The graphical representation of the combined weight of an ecosystem's organism is a(n)____.

A)Punnett square
B)energy flow chart
C)energy pyramid
D)ecological pyramid
E)biomass pyramid

Question 38

Ecosystems lose energy in the form of ____.

A)metabolic heat
B)sunlight
C)carbon dioxide
D)oxygen
E)decomposition

Question 39

Wastes would accumulate and most nutrients would stop cycling if which organism(s)within an ecosystem died?

A)protozoans and protistans
B)bacteria and fungi
C)flatworms, roundworms, and earthworms
D)insects
E)top carnivores

Question 40

Where on Earth would primary productivity be the lowest? ​

A)rain forest
B)Antarctic
C)tundra
D)oceans
E)deciduous forests

Question 41

What gas makes up the majority of the atmosphere? ​

A)oxygen
B)water vapor
C)carbon dioxide
D)nitrogen
E)methane

Question 42

Land ecosystems lose nitrogen to aquatic systems through ____. ​

A)decomposition
B)ammonification
C)soil leaching
D)bacterial fixation
E)denitrifcation

Question 43

What percentage of the atmosphere is nitrogen gas? ​

A)20%
B)40%
C)60%
D)80%
E)90%

Question 44

Most of the carbon on Earth is held in ____. ​

A)sediments and rocks
B)oceans
C)soil
D)atmosphere
E)land biomass

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the Earth's water cycles?

A)primarily fresh water cycle
B)driven exclusively by wind energy
C)influenced by wind patterns
D)influenced by ocean currents
E)evaporation of water into lower atmosphere

Question 46

Within the nitrogen cycle, which organism both coverts and releases nitrogen? ​

A)bacteria
B)viruses
C)fungi
D)plants
E)humans

Question 47

Most atmospheric carbon dissolved in the ocean is in the form of ____. ​

A)carbon dioxide
B)carbon monoxide
C)hydrocarbons
D)bicarbonate and carbonate
E)carbon gas

Question 48

The process in which nitrogenous waste products are decomposed by soil bacteria and fungi releasing NH₃ or NH₄ is ____. ​

A)nitrification
B)ammonification
C)denitrifcation
D)nitrogen fixation
E)hydrogenation

Question 49

The majority of evaporation of water occurs ____.

A)from oceans
B)in the upper atmosphere
C)onto land
D)from land plants
E)from surface ground water

Question 50

Land ecosystems lose nitrogen to the atmosphere through ____. ​

A)decomposition
B)ammonification
C)soil leaching
D)bacterial fixation
E)denitrification

Question 51

Plants use what form of nitrogen to make the building blocks for proteins and nucleic acids? ​

A)nitrogen gas
B)nucleic acids
C)ammonium
D)urea
E)nitrous oxide

Question 52

How does carbon buried in deep ocean sediments return back to the surface? ​

A)natural floating to the surface
B)carried upward by fish
C)storms at the ocean bottom
D)upward wave motion
E)uplifting of the sea floor

Question 53

Which is NOT part of the nitrogen cycle? ​

A)denitrification
B)deammonification
C)nitrogen fixation
D)ammonification
E)uptake by autotrophs

Question 54

Which plants are planted to increase the amount of nitrogen in the soil?

A)evergreens
B)legumes
C)mints
D)grasses
E)corn

Question 55

Most atmospheric carbon is in the form of ____. ​

A)carbon dioxide
B)carbon monoxide
C)hydrocarbons
D)carbon tetrachloride
E)carbonic acid

Question 56

The major carbon reservoir in marine ecosystems is ____. ​

A)cell respiration
B)in marine sediments
C)volcanic eruptions
D)photosynthesis
E)ocean runoff

Question 57

Humans incorporate nitrogen into their bodies ____. ​

A)by nitrification
B)through ammonification
C)by assimilation and biosynthesis
D)via denitrifcation
E)by the process of decomposition

Question 58

Carbon enters the atmosphere through all of the following sources EXCEPT ____. ​

A)cell respiration
B)volcanic eruptions
C)burning of fossil fuels
D)wind erosion
E)fire

Question 59

The main storehouse for substances in sedimentary cycles is ____. ​

A)oceans
B)air
C)Earth's crust
D)fresh water
E)sand

Question 60

The major source of water for precipitation onto land is ____. ​

A)evaporation from oceans
B)evaporation in the upper atmosphere
C)evaporation from groundwater flow
D)transpiration from land plants
E)wind driven water vapor from oceans

Question 61

The sequence in which the first species to inhabit an area are replaced by others is ____________________. ​

Question 65

Explain the flow of water in the global water cycle.

Question 66

Organisms that use photosynthesis to capture energy and make their own organic compounds are known as producers or ____________________. ​

Question 67

The specific conditions a species needs in order to survive and reproduce is a(n)____________________ . ​

Question 68

The most stable array of species in a given area is called a(n)____________________ community. ​

Question 69

Organisms that get energy from the remains or products of organisms are ____________________. ​

Question 70

Match the letters in the diagram of the nitrogen cycle to the statements below.​

fertilizers ​

Question 71

Match the following letters of a biomass pyramid of a lake with the statements below. 

large-mouth bass ​

Question 72

Organisms that eat producers are known as consumers or ____________________. ​

Question 73

A(n)____________________ is the interacting populations of all the species in a habitat. ​

Question 74

Match the following letters of a biomass pyramid of a lake with the statements below. 

small fish and invertebrate ​

Question 75

A(n)____________________ is a large-scale community of organisms in a major ecological setting. ​

Question 76

The study of the interactions of organisms with one another and their physical environment is ____________________. ​

Question 77

A(n)____________________ is the type of place a species normally lives. ​

Question 78

The red-cockaded woodpecker that builds nests mainly in one type of tree that is of a certain age is a(n)____________________ species. ​

Question 79

The living or ____________________ part of a community is made up of all of the organisms living together. ​

Question 80

Match the letters in the diagram of the nitrogen cycle to the statements below.​

nitrites in soil ​