Deck 19: Communities and Ecosystems

Question 1

A species that is so important to its community that its removal can dismantle a food web is termed a

A)capstone species.
B)flagstone species.
C)cobblestone species.
D)cornerstone species.
E)keystone species.

Answer 1

E
Explanation: A keystone species holds a food web together in the same way that a keystone holds an arch together.Please see section 19.4 for more information.

Question 2

A genetic change in one species that selects for a subsequent change in a different species is termed

A)coevolution.
B)genetic dispersion.
C)gene dynamics.
D)competitive exclusion.
E)evolutionary dynamics.

Answer 2

A
Explanation: Coevolution occurs when evolution of one species creates a selection pressure for a concomitant evolutionary change in another.Please see section 19.4 for more information.

Question 3

In ecology,a community that remains fairly constant over time is referred to as a

A)successful community.
B)climax community.
C)keystone community.
D)primary community.
E)tertiary community.

Answer 3

B
Explanation: A climax community on land usually involves the tallest trees which the area will support or other plants which are large enough and vigorous enough to exclude competitors.Please see section 19.5 for more information.

Question 4

If a species makes up a small portion of the community by weight,yet exerts a disproportionate influence on community diversity,what would it be called?

A)keystone species
B)cornerstone species
C)capstone species
D)flagstone species
E)No answer is correct.

Question 5

The type of succession that occurs in an area where no community previously existed is ______ succession.

A)keystone
B)tertiary
C)secondary
D)climax
E)primary

Question 6

When two or more species vie for the same limited resource,______ occurs.

A)succession
B)symbiosis
C)coevolution
D)stotting
E)competition

Question 7

The ______ states that two species cannot coexist indefinitely in the same niche.

A)endosymbiotic theory
B)zonal exclusion theory
C)co-inclusion principle
D)second law of thermodynamics
E)competitive exclusion principle

Question 8

You observe a situation in which a worm and a species of mustard grow better when both are present in an ecosystem,helping one another exploit resources.you would term this

A)predation.
B)parasitism.
C)mutualism.
D)commensalism.
E)intraspecific competition.

Question 9

Species that are the first to colonize an area are termed

A)keystone species.
B)primary species.
C)tertiary species.
D)pioneer species.
E)secondary species.

Question 10

When a tapeworm steals nutrients from the gut of a mammalian host,that symbiosis is called

A)predation.
B)mutualism.
C)commensalism.
D)parasitism.
E)intraspecific competition.

Question 11

All the organisms plus the nonliving components of a defined area is a(an)

A)population.
B)community.
C)ecosystem.
D)habitat.
E)nichE.

Question 12

Abiotic components of an ecosystem include

A)living components only.
B)both nonliving and living components.
C)only plant life.
D)nonliving components only.
E)only animal lifE.

Question 13

Which of the following is not a type of symbiosis?

A)parasitism
B)mutualism
C)commensalism
D)predation
E)No answer is correct.

Question 14

The upper and lower tidal zones in which the barnacles Balanus and Chthalamus thrive when both species are present illustrate the principle of

A)symbiotic inclusion.
B)parasitism.
C)oceanic restriction.
D)competitive exclusion.
E)No answer is correct.

Question 15

In ______,multiple species use the same resource in a slightly different way or at a different time.

A)symbiotic inclusion
B)resource partitioning
C)mutualism
D)intraspecific competition
E)No answer is correct.

Question 16

A gradual change in a community's species composition,occurring as competing organisms respond to and modify the physical environment,is termed

A)ecological completion.
B)ecological conversion.
C)ecological climax.
D)ecological magnification.
E)ecological succession.

Question 17

A type of symbiosis in which one member of the relationship benefits with no effect on the other is

A)predation.
B)mutualism.
C)commensalism.
D)parasitism.
E)intraspecific competition.

Question 18

A relationship between different species in which one species lives in or on another is

A)resource partitioning.
B)coevolution.
C)symbiosis.
D)predation.
E)niche sharing.

Question 19

The total of all the resources,both biotic and abiotic,that a species exploits for its survival,growth,and reproduction is its

A)competitive zone.
B)habitat.
C)food web.
D)niche.
E)biospherE.

Question 20

The physical place where members of a population live is termed a

A)competitive zone.
B)community.
C)habitat.
D)symbiont.
E)nichE.

Question 21

If you gave N₂ to a culture of nitrogen-fixing bacteria,you would expect to detect

A)nitrates.
B)ammonium ions.
C)nitrites.
D)carbon dioxide.
E)methanE.

Question 22

______ bacteria return nitrogen to the atmosphere by converting nitrates to N₂.

A)Nitrogen-fixing
B)In nitrification,
C)In denitrification,
D)In transpiration,
E)In respiration,

Question 23

If you wanted to know the total amount of energy taken into an ecosystem,you would look at the primary producers since it is the primary producers that are responsible for

A)net primary consumption.
B)gross primary productivity.
C)gross primary consumption.
D)net primary productivity.
E)net energy fixation.

Question 24

In the water cycle,animals return water to the environment by

A)both transpiration and excretion.
B)excretion only.
C)transpiration only.
D)both respiration and excretion.
E)excretion only.

Question 25

Which is not an important biogeochemical cycle on Earth?

A)ATP cycle
B)water cycle
C)carbon cycle
D)phosphorus cycle
E)nitrogen cycle

Question 26

A food chain is a series of organisms that

A)successively transfer energy,initially from the sun,to nutrition from eating others.
B)share the same niche.
C)exhibit mutualism with each other.
D)share the same energy source.
E)succeed one another as a climax community develops.

Question 27

As an overall average,about ______ of the energy at one trophic level is generally available to the next highest rank in the food chain.

A)2%
B)10%
C)4%
D)7%
E)20%

Question 28

Organisms that obtain their energy from producers or other consumers are

A)autotrophs and producers.
B)producers and heterotrophs.
C)autotrophs.
D)producers.
E)heterotrophs.

Question 29

Walleye pike fish are what?

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

Question 30

You are blindfolded and led to dry landscape where you see wind picking up sand and grinding it against a cliff.You are asked which biogeochemical cycle could be observed,and you answer that it is the _______ cycle.

A)phosphorus
B)nitrogen
C)water
D)No answer is correct.
E)carbon

Question 31

Which ecosystem has a very high net primary productivity?

A)desert
B)tropical rain forest
C)temperate forest
D)boreal forest
E)tundra

Question 32

Carbon returns to the atmosphere

A)as carbon dioxide.
B)from respiration of plants.
C)by the burning of fossil fuels.
D)from respiration of animals.
E)All answers are correct.

Question 33

An organism's ______ is its position in the food chain relative to the ecosystem's energy source.

A)habitat
B)niche
C)climax level
D)trophic level
E)keystone level

Question 34

"Net primary productivity" is the amount of energy

A)used in metabolism by producers.
B)given off as heat by producers.
C)trapped by the autotrophs of an ecosystem.
D)available for consumers.
E)used in metabolism by consumers.

Question 35

Biomagnification occurs with chemicals that

A)dissolve in only acidic solvents.
B)dissolve in water.
C)are not readily degraded and dissolve in fat.
D)are not readily degraded and dissolve in water.
E)dissolve in only basic solvents.

Question 36

An organism that can use solar energy and inorganic substances to produce all the organic material it requires is a(an)

A)producer and heterotroph.
B)heterotroph.
C)autotroph and producer.
D)autotroph.
E)producer.

Question 37

Secondary consumers are

A)carnivores.
B)herbivores.
C)bacteria.
D)fungi.
E)All answers are correct.

Question 38

Decomposers

A)obtain nutrients from detritus.
B)return organic molecules to their inorganic form.
C)include bacteria.
D)include fungi.
E)All answers are correct.

Question 39

If you were to shine a lightbulb on a puddle,and the water in the puddle disappeared,you would say that you had added energy to the puddle and had seen

A)sublimation.
B)condensation.
C)convection.
D)evaporation.
E)All answers are correct.

Question 40

Zooplankton are what?

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

Question 41

In the section "Investigating Life: Two Kingdoms and a Virus Team Up to Beat the Heat",what did the scientists conclude from the figure?

A)Plants survived the heat best with virus-infected fungi.
B)Plants survived the heat best with virus-free fungi.
C)Plants survived the heat best without fungi.
D)Plants survived the heat best when infected by the virus.
E)Plants survived the heat best when not infected by the virus.

Question 42

Why are top-level predators like lions and eagles so rare in a community?

A)Only a small amount of the energy is passed from one trophic level to the next.
B)They do not breed as fast as other animals.
C)Predation by higher predators reduces their numbers.
D)It is difficult for them to learn how to capture prey.
E)Their job is to keep the population size of other animals in check.

Question 43

If there are 10,000 calories of net primary productivity in an ecosystem,how much energy will be generally available to a secondary consumer?

A)1,000 calories
B)100 calories
C)10,000 calories
D)10 calories
E)1 calorie

Question 44

After a person has taken antibiotics to treat a yeast infection in the genitourinary tract,the yeast infection lessens and the microbes that are normally present reestablish themselves.The reason for the lessening of the yeast infection is explained by

A)predation.
B)symbiosis.
C)the competitive exclusion principle.
D)the co-inclusion principle.
E)endosymbiosis.

Question 45

In the section "Investigating Life: Two Kingdoms and a Virus Team Up to Beat the Heat",what was the purpose of repeatedly drying,freezing,and thawing some of the fungi?

A)to kill the fungi
B)to prepare the fungi for growth at 65 ^$\circ$ C
C)to remove the virus
D)to prepare the fungi to infect the panic grass
E)to make the fungus more susceptible to the virus

Question 46

Since it is a virus which cooperatively helps grass to grow at 65 ^$\circ$ C,based on what could the virus be detected?

A)by the presence of antibodies to the virus
B)by the presence of double-stranded RNA
C)by signs of infection
D)by the ability to grow at 65 ^$\circ$ C
E)by the presence of viral proteins

Question 47

Some scientists predict that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase,the pH of the oceans will drop,threatening coral and organisms with shells.What is the best explanation for this hypothesis?

A)Carbon dioxide combines with water to form a base.
B)Carbon dioxide combines with water to form an acid.
C)As the pH of the ocean decreases,more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
D)As the pH of the ocean increases,more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
E)As the oceans warm,more water is evaporated,lowering the pH of the remaining water.

Question 48

In the section "Investigating Life: Two Kingdoms and a Virus Team Up to Beat the Heat",the virus

A)infected the plant.
B)infected both the plant and fungus.
C)infected the fungus.
D)did not infect either the plant or fungus.

Question 49

If an insect evolves a leaf-like appearance to avoid predation,its predator might then coevolve a means to detect it in spite of this

A)camouflage.
B)warning coloration.
C)mimicry.
D)chemical defense.
E)mutualism.

Question 50

If there are 10,000 calories of net primary productivity in an ecosystem,how much energy will be generally available to a primary consumer?

A)100 calories
B)10,000 calories
C)10 calories
D)1,000 calories
E)1 calorie

Question 51

The concentration of the pesticide DDT is likely lowest in which organism?

A)a seagull
B)a minnow
C)a mosquito larvae
D)algae
E)plankton

Question 52

Mercury released from coal-burning power plants would be at the highest concentration in

A)the phytoplankton.
B)eagles that eat the walleye.
C)the zooplankton.
D)the minnows.
E)the walleyE.

Question 53

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the roots of soybeans help provide a source of nitrogen to the plants,and in exchange,the bacteria obtain food from the plants.Which type of interaction is this?

A)mutualism
B)commensalism
C)parasitism
D)predation
E)herbivory

Question 54

Some scientists predict that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase,plant growth will also increase.What is the best explanation for this hypothesis?

A)Plants consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
B)Plants release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
C)Plants consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during respiration.
D)Plants release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during respiration.
E)No answer is correct.

Question 55

In the section "Investigating Life: Two Kingdoms and a Virus Team Up to Beat the Heat",what is the dependent variable in the figure?

A)number of plants that could grow at 37 ^$\circ$ C
B)number of plants that could grow at 65 ^$\circ$ C
C)number of plants that died at 65 ^$\circ$ C
D)number of plants that died at 37 ^$\circ$ C
E)None of the answer choices is correct.

Question 56

In the section "Investigating Life: Two Kingdoms and a Virus Team Up to Beat the Heat",panic grass is a(n)

A)monocot.
B)dicot.
C)algae.
D)seedless plant.
E)bryophytE.

Question 57

The concentration of the pesticide DDT is likely highest in which organism?

A)a minnow
B)a mosquito larva
C)a seagull
D)plankton
E)algae

Question 58

In the section "Investigating Life: Two Kingdoms and a Virus Team Up to Beat the Heat",what did the scientists conclude from the figure?

A)Adding the virus back to virus-free fungi decreased plant survival.
B)Infecting plants with the virus increased their survival.
C)Infecting plants with the virus decreased their survival.
D)Infecting the fungus with the virus allowed them to grow in the heat.
E)Adding the virus back to virus-free fungi increased plant survival.

Question 59

In the section "Investigating Life: Two Kingdoms and a Virus Team Up to Beat the Heat," the interaction between panic grass and its endophytic fungus allows them to grow at 65 ^$\circ$ C together,but not independently.This is an example of

A)mutualism.
B)commensalism.
C)parasitism.
D)predation.
E)competition.

Question 60

Mycorrhizal fungi help with nutrient cycles by helping to absorb minerals,which they share with plants in return for carbohydrates.obtain food from plants in exchange for water and nutrients.This shows that nutrient cycling can be involved in an example of

A)commensalism.
B)parasitism.
C)mutualism.
D)predation.
E)herbivory.

Question 61

The term "abiotic" means "nonliving."

Question 62

The highest elevation at which trees can grow is

A)the Arctic tree line.
B)usually determined by salt spray.
C)determined by temperature.
D)the Antarctic tree line.
E)usually determined by oxygen concentration in the atmospherE.

Question 63

In the section "Investigating Life: Two Kingdoms and a Virus Team Up to Beat the Heat",what adaptations would panic grass growing at 65 ^$\circ$ C need to employ to avoid dehydration?

A)Transpiration would increase.
B)Uptake of water through the phloem would increase.
C)Transport of sugars through the xylem would decrease.
D)Their stomata would be closeD.
E)Their flowers would open.

Question 64

Energy can be depleted within an ecosystem.

Question 65

The species that appear in a climax community usually are short-lived,early-maturing,r-selected species that are strong competitors in a stable environment.

Question 66

If asked to put an arrow in a diagram showing energy flow through an ecosystem,you would use a single-headed arrow.

Question 67

The different seasons of the year are caused by

A)the tilt of the Earth's axis as the Earth travels around the Sun.
B)the rotation of the Earth around the Sun.
C)the rotation of the Earth on its axis.
D)the rotation of the moon around the Earth.
E)the gravitational pull of the moon as it travels around the Earth.

Question 68

Which of the following is not a major terrestrial biome of Earth?

A)the temperate grasslands
B)the tundra
C)the taiga
D)the Antarctic
E)the tropical rain forest

Question 69

The reliance of a plant on one type of insect for pollination and that insect having only the nectar of that plant as its food source is an example of coevolution.

Question 70

The Earth has a constant tilt of ______ on its axis from its plane of orbit.

A)12.5 degrees
B)23.5 degrees
C)30 degrees
D)9 degrees
E)5.5 degrees

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT an abiotic component or condition of an ecosystem?

A)water
B)archaea
C)rock
D)salinity
E)temperature

Question 72

On Earth,solar energy is most intense at

A)the South Pole.
B)the North Pole.
C)60 ^$\circ$ N latitude.
D)the equator.
E)60 ^$\circ$ S latitudE.

Question 73

Which item helps compose a living thing rather then being a major component of soil?

A)rock fragments
B)organic matter
C)microbes
D)bacteria
E)chloroplasts

Question 74

An example of a keystone species is a root-associated fungus that conifer trees need in order to survive and that supplies food for rodents.

Question 75

Raw sewage affects nutrient flow through and ecosystem more than energy flow.

Question 76

The reason why a "rain shadow" is called that is that it is on the

A)downwind side and has a wetter climate than the upwind side of the mountain.
B)upwind side and has a drier climate than the downwind side of the mountain.
C)downwind side and has a drier climate than the upwind side of the mountain.
D)upwind side and has a wetter climate than the downwind side of the mountain.

Question 77

If you found a durable organism growing on bare rock,which it was breaking down into small particles,it would be considered pioneer species.

Question 78

A network of interconnected food chains is a food web.

Question 79

The major types of ecosystems are termed

A)habitats.
B)niches.
C)biospheres.
D)terrestrial zones.
E)biomes.

Question 80

Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which neither member of the relationship benefits.