Download Ecology Practice Regents Questions

Name: ___________________________
Period: ________________
Ecology
1. A stable ecosystem is characterized by having
A)
B)
C)
D)
7. The graph below indicates the size of a fish population over a period
of time.
predators that outnumber their prey
a continual input of energy
limited autotrophic nutrition
no competition between species
2. An earthworm lives and reproduces in the soil. It aerates the soil and
adds organic material to it. The earthworm is a source of food for
other organisms. All of these statements together best describe
A) a habitat
C) an ecological niche
B) autotrophic nutrition
D) competition
3. Which statement describes all stable ecosystems?
A) Herbivores provide energy for the autotrophs,
B) The populations of predators are dependent on the populations
of their prey.
C) The number of autotrophs equals the number of heterotrophs.
D) Consumers synthesize ATP from light energy.
4. The increase of certain types of gases in the atmosphere has
contributed to the problem of global warming. All these gases are
A) biotic factors
C) organic factors
B) abiotic factors
D) endangered factors
5. Which process will result in a gain of energy in an ecosystem?
A)
B)
C)
D)
photosynthesis in algae cells
digestion in hummingbirds
ATP synthesis in fungi
respiration in maple tree cells
6. A study was done on three different fish species living in a pond in
New York State. The influence of temperature on the growth rates of
the fish populations is shown in the graph below.
What does the section of the graph labeled A represent?
A)
B)
C)
D)
biodiversity within the species
nutritional relationships of the species
a population becoming extinct
a population at equilibrium
8. Sugar maples and white pines are two different tree species that often
grow side by side in the Adirondack Mountains. Which statement
concerning these trees is correct?
A) Since they are both trees, they can interbreed.
B) Since they are not closely related, they do not compete with one
another.
C) Even though they are both trees, each plays a different role in
the ecosystem.
D) They utilize totally different abiotic resources.
9. The wetland plant purple loosestrife was imported to North America
from Europe. Since its introduction, the loosestrife has spread, which
has resulted in a dramatic decline in the biological diversity of native
wetland plants. A likely reason for the spread of the purple
loosestrife is that it can
A)
B)
C)
D)
successfully compete with native herbivores for food
serve as an excellent food source for native herbivores
successfully compete with native plants for space
prevent the migration of native plants
10. When two different bird species temporarily occupy the same niche,
they would most likely
A)
B)
C)
D)
In this pond where these fish live, temperature is a
A) limiting factor
C) source of ATP
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B) hereditary factor
D) source of solar energy
change their nesting behaviors
not affect one another
interbreed to form a new species
compete with one another
11. Two species of animals with a similar appearance live in the same
habitat but do not compete for food. This is because they most
likely
A)
B)
C)
D)
reproduce at different times of the year
are the same size
occupy different ecological niches
are active at night
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12. What will most likely occur if two different plant species compete
for the same requirements in an ecosystem?
A)
B)
C)
D)
They will usually develop different requirements.
One species may adapt to a different environment.
One species may be eliminated from that ecosystem.
They will alter the environment so that they can both survive
in that ecosystem.
13. When a person's level of physical activity changes, the circulatory
system supplies body cells with amounts of nutrients and oxygen
that are appropriate to sustain the new level of activity. This
statement best illustrates the concept of
A) homeostasis
C) synthesis
B) pinocytosis
D) cyclosis
14. Which consequence could most likely be associated with a decrease
in biodiversity in an area?
A) major environmental change.
B) The ecosystems in the area would become more stable.
C) The amount of genetic information in the species of the area
would increase.
D) Some sources of future foods or medications would be lost.
15. Which activity would reduce biodiversity in a forest ecosystem?
A) adding plants that are naturally resistant to insects
B) protecting wildflowers from logging activities
C) replacing harvested trees with young trees that are naturally
found in the forest
D) clearing a large area and planting one species of hardwood
tree that can be used for lumber
18. Carbon dioxide makes up less than 1 percent of Earth's atmosphere,
and oxygen makes up about 20 percent. These percentages are
maintained most directly by
A)
B)
C)
D)
respiration and photosynthesis
the ozone shield
synthesis and digestion
energy recycling in ecosystems
19. Decomposers are necessary in a food chain because they
A)
B)
C)
D)
manufacture food by photosynthesis
return nutrients to the ecosystem
absorb energy from the Sun
produce organic nutrients
20. Which term refers to the ecological niche of many bacteria and
fungi in an ecosystem?
A) decomposer
C) producer
B) herbivore
D) scavenger
21. Decomposers are necessary in an ecosystem because they
A)
B)
C)
D)
produce food for plants by the process of photosynthesis
provide energy for plants by the process of decay
can rapidly reproduce and evolve
make inorganic materials available to plants
22. The diagram below represents a cycling of materials.
16. Base your answer to the following question on the information
below and on your knowledge of biology.
Lichens are composed of two organisms, a fungus that cannot
make its own food and algae that contain chlorophyll. Lichens
may live on the bark of trees or even on bare rock. They secrete
acids that tend to break up the rock they live on, helping to
produce soil. As soil accumulates from the broken rock and
dead lichens, other organisms, such as plants, may begin to
grow.
Which row in the chart below shows the substances represented by
X and Y?
The ability of lichens to alter their environment, enabling other
organisms to grow and take their places in that environment, is one
step in what process?
A)
B)
C)
D)
biological evolution
ecological succession
maintenance of cellular communication
differentiation in complex organisms
17. Which two processes are responsible for keeping the percentage of
atmospheric oxygen at relatively constant levels?
A)
B)
C)
D)
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
circulation and coordination
respiration and coordination
respiration and photosynthesis
photosynthesis and circulation
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23. Species A, B, C, and D are all different heterotrophs involved in the
same food chain in
an ecosystem. The chart below shows the population of each
species at the same time on a summer day.
26. Many species of plants interact with harmless underground fungi.
The fungi enable the plants to absorb certain essential minerals and
the plants provide the fungi with carbohydrates and other nutrients.
This describes an interaction between a
A)
B)
C)
D)
parasite and its host
predator and its prey
scavenger and a decomposer
producer and a consumer
27. Which statement represents a characteristic of an ecosystem that is
not likely to sustain itself?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Which statement best describes one of these species of
heterotrophs?
A) Species A is the most numerous because it can make its own
food.
B) Species B probably feeds on species
C) Species C and B interbred to produce species
D) Species D is most likely the top predator in the food chain.
The Sun provides the needed energy.
Energy is transferred from plants to animals.
There are more consumers than producers.
There are interactions between biotic and abiotic factors.
28. The greatest number of relationships between the organisms in an
ecosystem is best shown in
A)
B)
C)
D)
a food chain
an energy pyramid
a food web
an ecological succession diagram
24. Puppies are often given medicine to eliminate roundworms from
29. Base your answer to the following question on
their intestines. These worms consume some of the food the puppies
the food web below and on your knowledge of biology.
have digested. The worms and the puppies represent a relationship
known as
A) predator-prey
C) parasite-host
B) consumer-producer
D) autotroph-heterotroph
25. The diagram below represents a food web.
A decrease in the grass population will most immediately decrease
the available energy for the
A) mouse
B) hawk
C) snake
D) frog
Two of the herbivores represented in this food web are
A) toads and snakes
C) wolves and raccoons
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B) deer and mice
D) grasshoppers and toads
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30. Base your answer on the energy pyramid below and on your
knowledge of biology.
33. The diagram below represents different feeding levels in an energy
pyramid
Letter A in the pyramid represents
A) scavengers
C) carnivores
B) producers
D) herbivores
The most likely explanation for showing fewer organisms at each
feeding level going up the pyramid is that
31. A food web is represented below.
A)
B)
C)
D)
some energy is lost to the environment as heat
the larger the organism, the less energy it requires
some energy is recycled within each level and remains there
decomposers convert most of the energy into inorganic
compounds
34. What is the primary source of energy for all the organisms in the
ecosystem represented below?
A continuous decrease in the size of the rabbit population would
most likely cause a decrease in which other population?
A) frog
C) grass
B) cricket
D) mountain lion
32. Many communities have started programs to dispose of evergreen
trees after the holiday season. These programs allow individuals to
bring these trees to be shredded, and the resulting chips are spread
around parks and recreational areas as mulch. These programs
benefit the environment by
A)
B)
C)
D)
increasing pollution in parks
taking up more space in landfHls
returning materials to the environment
increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
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A)
B)
C)
D)
photosynthesis in the producers
respiration in the heterotrophs
light energy from the Sun
minerals from the rocks
35. In lakes that are exposed to acid rain, fish populations are declining.
This is primarily due to changes in which lake condition?
A) size
C) pH
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B) temperature
D) location
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36. The chart below summarizes the effect of commercial fishing on a
local Atlantic cod population over an 9-year period.
38. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below
and on your knowledge of biology. The diagram represents a food
web in an ecosystem.
According to the chart, it can be concluded that
A) the number of fishing boats has less effect on the local cod
population than pollution
B) more fishing boats make the cod population estimates more
accurate
C) an increase in fishing boats has had a positive impact on cod
population growth
D) commercial fishing is having a negative effect on the local
cod population
37. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below
and on your knowledge of biology. The diagram represents a food
web in an ecosystem.
If the population of hawks in this area increases, their prey
populations might decrease. Later, with fewer prey, the hawk
population might decrease. The prey populations might then
increase. This is an example of
A) an ecosystem that is completely out of balance
B) how ecosystems maintain stability over time
C) interaction between biotic and abiotic factors within an
ecosystem
D) ecological succession in an ecosystem
Missing from the diagram of this ecosystem are the
A)
B)
C)
D)
biotic factors and decomposers
abiotic factors and decomposers
autotrophs, only
heterotrophs, only
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39. Which row in the chart below best describes decomposers?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
40. The diagram below represents a process that occurs in nature.
If the oak and hickory trees were burned in a forest fire, leaving bare soil, which group of plants would most likely be the first to
grow back?
A) crabgrass and horseweed
C) broomsedge and pine seedlings
B) oak and hickory trees
D) mature pine and young deciduous trees
41. Two different species of single-celled organisms that eat the same food were placed in the same container. A constant food
supply was provided starting on day 2, and the populations were monitored daily. The graph below represents the growth of the
two populations.
The most likely reason for the observed changes in the populations over the 18-day period is
A) P. caudatum outcompeted P. aurelia
C) the two species shared available resources
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B) P. aurelia outcompeted P. caudatum
D) P. caudatum became a predator for P. aurelia
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42. The diagram below represents a food web.
Which organisms are correctly paired with their nutritional roles?
A) hawk—decomposer; insect-eating bird—parasite
C) mountain lion—predator; bark beetle—herbivore
B) mouse—autotroph; flower seed—heterotroph
D) grasshopper—carnivore; grass—autotroph
43. The graph below shows changes in the populations of two species that interact only with each other over a period of time.
Which statement best describes these two species?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Species A is a producer and species B is its consumer.
Species A is a host and species B is its parasite.
Species A is a predator and species B is its prey.
Species A is a scavenger and species B is its decomposer.
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44. The dichotomous key below provides a way to classify some animals into groups according to their physical characteristics.
The key can he used to classify each of the four animals represented below.
Which row in the chart shows the correct classification group for each animal?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
45. Base your answer to the following question on the information below and on your knowledge of biology.
There has been an increase in the number of dead birds found on the beaches of the Great Lakes. These birds were
poisoned by a bacterial toxin in the lake water. The birds do not ingest enough water to become sick directly from the toxin
found in the lake water. Scientists think that the cause of the increasing bird deaths lies with an invasive species the zebra
mussel. This freshwater organism was introduced into the Great Lakes accidentally by humans, and has become well
established in the Great Lakes. Zebra mussels filter out microscopic organisms, as well as the toxins found in the lake water.
The toxins become concentrated in the zebra mussels, which are eaten by small fish called gobies, and the gobies are eaten
by the birds. The concentration increases in each level of the food chain. It appears that the introduction of the zebra muscles
into the Great Lakes has resulted in a new food chain that increases the concentration of the naturally occurring toxins and
passes dangerous levels on to these top-level predators. This process is known as bioaccumulation.
How has bioaccumulation resulted in the deaths of large numbers of birds even though the toxin level in the lake water is not high
enough to make them sick?
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