Practice Ecology Test with answers

Thanks to Mr Buckley

Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by several suggested

answers or completions. Select the one that is best in each case.

1. Which of the following best describes an intimate ecological association in which the
organism is harmed
when living on or within the host, but which generally has a negative effect on that host?
(A.) Mutualism (B.) Saprophytism (C.) Commensalism (D.) Parasitism (E.) Predation

2. Which concept most completely describes the place an organism is found in an ecosystem?
(A.) habitat (B.) niche (C.) food web (D.) chemical cycle

3. The algal bloom in phosphate-polluted lakes results from (A.) supplementing a limiting factor
(B.) the poisoning of competitors by phosphate (C.) biological magnification (D.) decreasing the
lake's carrying capacity for algae

4. Which ecological unit is defined as so to include abiotic factors? (A.) population (B.)
ecosystem
(C.) community (D.) biome (E.) deme

5. Higher plants most often absorb nitrogen from the soil in the form of (A.) free nitrogen gas
(B.) ammonia
(C.) amino acids (D.) nitrates (E.) nitrites

6. An example of a secondary succession is

(A.) weathered rock -- lichen -- moss
(B.) lava -- blue-green algae -- moss --ferns
(C.) burned forest -- grass -- tree seedlings
(D.) dry beach -- grass -- beech forest

7. Which biotic community is the most unstable? (A.) tropical rain forest (B.) Sahara desert
(C.) Iowa corn field (D.) western grassland (E.) Arctic tundra

8. As an ecosystem passes through the stages of succession (A.) its species diversity decreases
(B.) its biomass increases (C.) it becomes less stable (D.) its ability to withstand stress decreases

9. Competition
(A.) describes an interaction in which one organism is adversely affected while the other is
unaffected
(B.) occurs only over food sources
(C.) may result in one species dying off or being forced to change its ecological niche
(D.) occurs only between closely related organisms

10. During the summer months excess nutrient enrichment in a lake can result in the depletion of
oxygen in the hypolimnion which eventually causes the death of bottom dwelling fish. The
depletion of oxygen is caused by the (A.) the explosive growth of phytoplankton in the limnetic
zone (B.) the decomposition of dead matter in the bottom by bacteria (C.) increased
photosynthesis by phytoplankton (D.) the increase in the fish population as result of the bloom

11. A population that overshoots the carrying capacity of its habitat (A.) has unlimited biotic
potential (B.) will eventually "crash" (C.) is perfectly adapted to its habitat (D.) has a very short
log phase

12. The brightly colored patterns on animals with effective physical or chemical defenses is
known as (A.) aposomatic coloration (B.) cryptic coloration (C.) Batesian mimicry (D.)
Mullerian mimicry

13. As energy flows through the ecosystem, the amount available to each trophic level (A.)
decreases (B.) increases (C.) remains the same (D.) none of the prior answers is correct

14. The term used to describe very complex interactions involving a series of reciprocal
evolutionary adaptations in two species is called (A.) coevolution (B.) divergent evolution (C.)
convergent evolution (D.) biogeography

15. Which is the term that describes those factors preventing a species from reproducing at its
biotic potential? (A.) carrying capacity (B.) environmental resistance (C.) predation (D.)
competitive exclusion

16. An example of Mullerian mimicry is

(A.) A butterfly that resembles a leaf.
(B.) Two poisonous frogs that resemble each other in coloration.
(C.) A minnow with spots that look like large eyes.
(D.) A beetle that resembles a scorpion.
(E.) A carnivorous fish with a wormlike tongue that lures prey.

17. A uniform dispersion pattern for a population may indicate that

(A.) the population is spreading out and increasing its range
(B.) the resources are heterogeneously distributed
(C.) individuals of the population are competing for some resource, such as water or minerals for
plants
or nesting sites for animals
(D.) there is an absence of strong attractions or repulsions among individuals
(E.) the density of the population is low

18. Which statement is TRUE concerning an ecological niche?

(A.) Within the same habitat, two or more species can occupy the exact same niche.
(B.) The niche is defined as the microhabitat where an organism is found.
(C.) The concept of the ecological niche is multidimensional including information not only in
the
functional role of the organism in the ecosystem but also its habitat.
(D.) The type of niche occupied by the organism depends only on the organism's mode of
nutrition.

19. The growing season would be generally shortest in which biome?

(A.) tropical rain forest (B.) savannah (C.) taiga (D.) tundra (E.) temperate grassland
NOTE THAT QUESTION 20 HAS ONLY HAS THREE POSSIBLE ANSWERS.

20. As the temperature of a body of water decreases with other factors remaining constant,
its amount of dissolved oxygen tends to (A.) decrease (B.) increase (C.) remain the same

21. An animals camouflage disguises the organism's (A.) silhoutte (B.) size (C.) eyes (D.) all of
the above

22. All of the following are essential to complete the nitrogen cycle except (A.) decomposers
(B.) producers (C.) detritus feeders (D.) secondary consumers

23. Upwellings and turnovers

(A.) are important in recycling minerals and nutrients
(B.) result in large fish kills because of sudden changes in temperature
(C.) occur in the benthic zone
(D.) occur quite frequently during the year in shallow ponds

24. When we eat celery we are acting as

(A.) producers (B.) primary consumers (C.) secondary consumers (D.) decomposers

25. Regarding energy transfer

(A.) the percentage efficiency of energy transfer between each trophic level is 100%
(B.) only about 10% of the energy present in the plant consumed by the herbivore is stored in the

herbivore's body and available for the next consumer

(C.) the amount of energy transferred between trophic levels increases logarithmically over time
(D.) none of the energy taken in by an organism is available to the consumer

MATCHING SECTION

In column B select the response most closely associated with each statement in column A.

Column A

26. saprophyte
27. secondary consumer or higher
28. may be a primary or secondary consumer
29. only a primary consumer
30. producer

Column B

A. heterotroph
B. decomposer
C. herbivore
D. carnivore
E. omnivore
F. autotroph

___________________________________________________________
Column A

31. gradient at edges of biomes

32. vertical temperature gradient in lake
33. upper layer of warm water
34. rich in organic nutrients
35. lower layer of water at 40 F. (about 4 C.)

Column B

A. epilimnion
B. hypolimnion
C. ecocline
D. thermocline
E. eutrophic
F. oligotrophic
______________________________________________________________

Column A

36. maximum rate of population growth

37. pattern of population distribution

38. place where an organism lives
39. number of organisms an ecosystem can support
40. functional role of an organism in the community

Column B

A. habitat
B. niche
C. carrying capacity
D. biotic potential
E. dispersion

______________________________________________________________________

NOTE: In this final matching set, choices may be used once, more than once, or not at all.

Column A

41. Biome including grass, hyenas, antelopes, zebras, and lions.

42. This biome exhibits the greatest diversity of plant species.
43. The subsoil of this biome is permanently frozen.
44. This biome can be recognized by its coniferous forests and relatively infertile acidic soil.
45. In this biome, agriculture is commonly practiced in a "cut-burn-cultivate-abandon" mode.
Column B

(A.) savannah
(B.) taiga
(C.) deciduous forest
(D.) tundra
(E.) tropical rain forest
(F.) temperate grassland

[Answers to the Multiple Choice and Matching Sections]

1. D
2. A
3. A
4. B
5. D
6. C
7. C
8. B
9. C
10. B
11. B
12. A
13. A
14. A
15. B
16. B
17. D
18. C
19. D
20. B
21. D
22. D
23. A
24. B
25. B
26. B
27. D
28. E
29. C
30. F
31. C
32. D
33. A
34. E
35. B
36. D
37. E
38. A
39. C
40. B
41. A
42. E
43. D
44. B
45. E