Deck 2: Fundamentals of Ecology

Question 1

Organisms that live under similar environmental conditions and location, and interact directly or indirectly are part of the same:

A) ecosystem.
B) biosystem.
C) abiotic habitat.
D) biotic habitat.
E) population.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Animals that obtain their body heat from internal metabolism are called:

A) ectotherms.
B) poikilotherms.
C) endotherms.
D) osmoconformers.
E) osmoregulators.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Ecology is:

A) a type of life style.
B) the study of the interaction of organisms and their environment.
C) a place where organisms live.
D) what happens when a predator consumes a prey item.
E) the study of the physical environment in an ecosystem.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

An example of abiotic factors influencing marine organisms is:

A) predation.
B) competition for food.
C) parasitism.
D) salinity.
E) bacterial disease.

Question 5

The largest group and most important marine photosynthetic organisms are:

A) kelp.
B) seagrasses.
C) macroalgae.
D) phytoplankton.
E) giant kelps.

Question 6

A population growth pattern that reaches a certain level is described with a(n)

A) logarithmic equation.
B) exponential equation.
C) logistic equation.
D) J -shaped curve.
E) quadratic equation.

Question 7

The habitat of a species has

A) both abiotic and biotic factors.
B) neither biotic or abiotic factors.
C) biotic factors.
D) abiotic factors.

Question 8

The biosphere

A) is located in the Northern Hemisphere.
B) contains organisms with similar needs.
C) has environmental conditions of similar temperature, pressure, and salinity.
D) supports all of life on earth.
E) is restricted to the continents.

Question 9

An organism whose temperature is similar to its surroundings is called a(n)

A) endotherm.
B) poikiotherm.
C) ectotherm.
D) warm blooded organism.
E) osmoregulator.

Question 10

Regions above or below the optimal range of an environmental variable are called:

A) zones of stress.
B) tolerance zones.
C) optimal range areas.
D) None of the above.
E) b and c only.

Question 11

You start to culture a petri dish of marine bacteria. Each day, the number of visible colonies growing on the agar surface increases in this fashion: 2, 4, 16, 32, 64, 128. This growth pattern is best described as

A) logarithmic.
B) logistic.
C) exponential.
D) quadratic.

Question 12

The movement of water across a membrane in response to a gradient of solute concentration is called:

A) salinity.
B) osmosis.
C) solubility.
D) diffusion.
E) pressure.

Question 13

An environment would be considered harsh to an organism if:

A) it would be difficult for the individual to maintain homeostasis.
B) the temperatures are extreme.
C) salinity varies.
D) pressure gradients are large.
E) light levels are low.

Question 14

Habitat complexity can support

A) complex life histories.
B) increased biodiversity.
C) higher productivity.
D) more different species in an area.
E) All of the above.

Question 15

A particular sea bird has a Type 1 survival curve, and older female birds produce more eggs than younger birds. What is an evolutionary strategy of these birds?

A) young birds reach maturity rapidly
B) reproduction is delayed
C) birds reach maturity slowly
D) both a and b
E) both b and c

Question 16

At what depth would water pressure be 4 times greater than atmospheric pressure at the surface?

A) 10 meters
B) 20 meters
C) 30 meters
D) 40 meters
E) 50 meters

Question 17

Habitat refers to where an organism:

A) lives.
B) feeds.
C) reproduces.
D) forages.
E) All of the above.

Question 18

The amount of dissolved salts in water determines the:

A) temperature.
B) luminosity.
C) salinity.
D) clarity.
E) turbidity.

Question 19

An organism that maintains a constant body temperature is termed:

A) an endotherm.
B) an ectotherm.
C) a poikiotherm.
D) cold blooded.
E) an osmoconformer.

Question 20

The pressure of the oceans increases by one atmosphere for every ____ meter increase in depth.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 15
D) 20
E) 25

Question 21

The following are main points of the example of the Amphipod and Sea Butterfly except:

A) Fish are confused by the amphipods.
B) A new form of symbiosis was observed.
C) A "kidnapping" behavior was observed.
D) An example of chemical defense was seen
E) The scientific method was utilized.

Question 22

Anaerobic organisms thrive:

A) in oxygen-free environments.
B) where oxygen is abundant.
C) where carbon dioxide is abundant.
D) in surface waters of the ocean.
E) in the middle of the water column.

Question 23

Those organisms that thrive in an environment free of oxygen are called

A) phytoplankton.
B) zooplankton.
C) nekton.
D) anaerobes.
E) aerobic.

Question 24

Members of the same species living in the same area and interacting are:

A) a community.
B) a population.
C) an ecosystem.
D) a biosphere.
E) a biome.

Question 25

Oxygen during the early development of the atmosphere was:

A) common.
B) rare.
C) important for photosynthesis.
D) about the same as now.
E) created from the cooling of hot lava.

Question 26

When two different species require the same resources we may observe

A) intraspecific competition.
B) resource partitioning.
C) interspecific competition.
D) predation.
E) symbiosis/parasitism.

Question 27

An example of mutualism is:

A) remora fish attached to or following a shark.
B) cleaner shrimp removing parasites from a fish.
C) tapeworm living in the digestive system of a fish.
D) hagfish feeding off a whale killed by an Orca.
E) interactions between the barnacle species Semibalanus and Chthamalus

Question 28

The process of subdividing a niche into smaller niches is called:

A) resource partitioning.
B) interspecific competition.
C) commensalism.
D) mutualism.
E) symbiosis.

Question 29

Predators that prevent the population of their prey from exploding and thus outcompeting their prey are called:

A) regulators.
B) herbivores.
C) keystone species.
D) omnivores.
E) decomposers.

Question 30

An important inorganic nutrient needed by marine photosynthetic organisms is:

A) glucose.
B) amino acids.
C) lipids.
D) nitrates.
E) carbohydrates.

Question 31

Neuston is a term relating to small organisms of the:

A) intertidal zone.
B) benthic zone.
C) ocean surface.
D) abyssal zone.
E) aphotic zone.

Question 32

Communities of organisms are made up of:

A) populations of different species.
B) different habitats.
C) two or more populations of the same species.
D) ecosystems.
E) interacting niches.

Question 33

Waste products of metabolism tend to accumulate in:

A) open ocean areas.
B) coastal waters.
C) small enclosed bodies of water.
D) fast circulating water.
E) major ocean currents.

Question 34

The pelagic division of the ocean consists of the:

A) ocean bottom.
B) lit area of the ocean.
C) dark area of the ocean.
D) water column.
E) intertidal zone.

Question 35

The symbiotic relationship in which the symbiont benefits from the relationship but the host is neither harmed nor benefited is called:

A) mutualism.
B) parasitism.
C) commensalism.
D) competition.
E) niche interactivity.

Question 36

A species whose effect on biological diversity is disproportionate to their own abundance is termed:

A) predator.
B) keystone.
C) carnivore.
D) producer.
E) herbivore.

Question 37

The niche of the species is best described as:

A) the biological relationships of the species in the ecosystem.
B) the behavior of a species in the ecosystem.
C) the sum of the abiotic factors required or tolerated by the species.
D) the occupation (needs and role) of the species in the ecosystem.
E) the location where the species resides.

Question 38

____ is when one organism successfully outcompetes another organism and excludes it from a particular area or niche.

A) Predation
B) Resource partitioning
C) Parasitism
D) Competitive exclusion
E) Commensalism

Question 39

Metabolic wastes are:

A) the byproduct of metabolism.
B) unused nutrients during metabolism.
C) re-used by the organism.
D) unimportant to community metabolism.

Question 40

In the carbon cycle, animals play a fundamental role by:

A) decreasing the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide.
B) increasing the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide as a result of respiration.
C) increasing the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide as a result of photosynthesis.
D) decreasing the amount of plant biomass.
E) decreasing it as a result of photosynthesis.

Question 41

Gases such as oxygen dissolve more readily in cool water than in warm water.

Question 42

Solutes are the liquid in which solid substances are dissolved.

Question 43

The proper order of predator-prey relationships is

A) herbivore-producer-carnivore.
B) carnivore-producer-herbivore.
C) herbivore-carnivore-producer.
D) producer-herbivore-carnivore.
E) carnivore-herbivore-producer.

Question 44

Nutrients are reintroduced into the upper reaches of the oceans from deeper areas by the process of:

A) wind and ocean currents.
B) respiration of marine animals.
C) excretion of wastes by animals.
D) sinking of dead organisms.
E) their attachment to floating plankton.

Question 45

An organism's niche can be described in terms of abiotic and biotic factors.

Question 46

Desiccation is the process of drying out due to the effects of sunlight and wind.

Question 47

Homeostasis is the maintenance by organisms of a balanced state of internal conditions.

Question 48

How much biomass of krill (in kg) is needed to produce 1,000 kg of whale?

A) 100
B) 2,000
C) 10,000
D) 50,000
E) 100,000

Question 49

When nutrients are limited, they do all the following except:

A) reduce metabolism.
B) decrease growth rates.
C) affect growth form.
D) immobilize an organism.
E) cause algal blooms.

Question 50

You are a resource manager of a large eutrophic lake. After stopping the source of nutrients from entering the lake, what further steps could you do to improve the water quality?

A) introduce phytoplankton-consuming fish.
B) introduce freshwater sponges into the lake.
C) introduce aquatic plants into the habitat.
D) introduce carnivorous fish into the lake.

Question 51

Chemosynthetic organisms use the energy from ____ to produce organic molecules.

A) the sun
B) chemical reactions
C) the water
D) other organisms.
E) glucose

Question 52

The only important role of sunlight in the marine environment is to provide energy for photosynthesis.

Question 53

Important nutrients for photosynthesis include:

A) nitrogen and phosphate.
B) phosphate and oxygen.
C) nitrogen and oxygen.
D) calcium and oxygen.
E) glucose and oxygen.

Question 54

____ are good examples of consumers.

A) Omnivores
B) Detritivores
C) Herbivores
D) Carnivores.
E) All of the above.

Question 55

With each change in trophic level we can expect a ____% transfer of biomass.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 25
D) 50
E) 20

Question 56

On average, only about ____ percent of the energy available at one trophic level is passed on to the next trophic level.

A) 1
B) 5
C) 10
D) 90
E) 50

Question 57

Eutrophication can lead to

A) an algal bloom.
B) fish congregations.
C) decreased water clarity.
D) slow plant growth rates.
E) a and c only.

Question 58

The process of increasing nutrient levels in coastal water is termed:

A) photosynthesis.
B) community metabolism.
C) eutrophication.
D) putrification.
E) oligotropism.

Question 59

The primary source of energy for primary production is:

A) high temperatures.
B) sunlight.
C) hydrogen bonds.
D) glucose.
E) carbohydrates.

Question 60

Estuaries are an example of:

A) niches.
B) populations.
C) ecosystems.
D) the abyssal zone.
E) pelagic systems.

Question 61

Decomposers play an important role in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen.

Question 62

The two main sources of oxygen in the sea are photosynthesis and transfer from the atmosphere.

Question 63

The abyssal zone is one of the zones of the pelagic division.

Question 64

Producers can be photosynthetic or chemosynthetic.

Question 65

MATCHING
Match the word with the word it is most closely associated with.
a.herbivore
b.carnivore
c.producer
plant

Question 66

Match each term to a similar term.
a.herbivore
b.carnivore
c.autotroph
first-order consumer

Question 67

Match the type of organism to a role.a.primary producer
b.first-order consumer
c.DOM producer
d.detritivores
bacteria

Question 68

Match the direction of net movement of water to the type of extracellular solution.
a.into cells
b.out of cells
c.no net movement
hypotonic solution

Question 69

The hydrological cycle involves the biogeochemical cycling of water on the planet.

Question 70

MATCHING
Match the word with the word it is most closely associated with.
a.herbivore
b.carnivore
c.producer
first-order consumer

Question 71

Interspecific competition is competition occurring between individuals of the same species.

Question 72

Match each term to a similar term.
a.herbivore
b.carnivore
c.autotroph
producer

Question 73

Heterotrophic organisms cannot make their own food.

Question 74

Match the direction of net movement of water to the type of extracellular solution.
a.into cells
b.out of cells
c.no net movement
hypertonic solution

Question 75

Infaunal organisms live in the water column.

Question 76

The relationship between a predator and its prey is within the realm of interspecific competition.

Question 77

Match each term to a similar term.
a.herbivore
b.carnivore
c.autotroph
second-order consumer

Question 78

Match the direction of net movement of water to the type of extracellular solution.
a.into cells
b.out of cells
c.no net movement
isotonic solution

Question 79

The relationship between the clownfish and the sea anemone it is associated with is an example of mutualism.

Question 80

MATCHING
Match the word with the word it is most closely associated with.
a.herbivore
b.carnivore
c.producer
predator