Download Ecology Test Review

Ecology Test Review
Question 1
 What are the 5 levels of organization in
an ecosystem?
Question 1 answer
 Organism
 Population
 Community
 Ecosystem
 Biome
Question 2
 Name which level from above would go with each
description.
 Frog  Frogs, birds, plants  Temperate Forest  Frogs  Frogs, birds, plants, rocks, and wind –
Question 2 Answer
 Name which level from above would go
with each description.
 Frog - Organism
 Frogs, birds, plants - Community
 Temperate Forest - Biome
 Frogs - Population
 Frogs, birds, plants, rocks, and wind –
Ecosystem
Question 3
 What is the difference between biotic factors and
abiotic factors?
Question 3 answer
 Biotic means living or once living (plant,
animal, bacteria)
 Abiotic means non-living (wind, soil,
sun)
Question 4
 What is the difference between a producer
(autotroph) and a consumer (heterotroph)?
Question 4 answer
 A producer (autotroph) uses sunlight or
chemicals to make its own food source.
 A consumer (heterotroph) needs to
consume other living things in order to
get its energy.
Question 5
 Below is an energy pyramid. Divide it into 4 levels and
name each trophic level. Give an example of each.
Question 5 answer
Tertiary Consumer: Snake
Secondary Consumer: Mouse
Primary Consumer: grasshopper
Primary Producer: plants
Question 6
 What happens to the amount of energy between
each level as you move up?
Question 6 answer
 90% of the energy is released as heat,
only 10% transfers to the next level.
Question 7
 Why are many more producers needed to support the
consumer levels?
Question 7 answer
 Because there is less energy at the top
of the food chain, therefore much more
energy is required to support those on
top. Without producers, all population
sizes would decrease.
Question 8
 What is the difference between a food chain and a
food web?
Question 8 answer
 A food chain shows what eats what.
 A food web shows multiple food chains
and the flow of energy in the food
chain.
Question 9
 What are the 5 cycles of matter and why are they
important to all living organisms?
Question 9 answer
 Water, Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen,
Phosphorus
 They are important because these
elements are essential to life for all
living things.
Question 10
 What important role do decomposers play in an
ecosystem?
Question 10 answer
 They help to return nutrients (inorganic material) to
the soil so that they can enter the food chain again
(be absorbed by plants).
Question 11
 What is the difference between a habitat and a niche?
Question 11 answer
 A habitat is a “home” it describes where
an organism lives.
 A niche is the home plus the behaviors.
It is the “job” of the organism in its
habitat.
Question 12
 Explain 2 important ways in which species interact.
Question 12 answer
 1. Competition: interspecific and
intraspecific
 2. Predation
Question 13
 Explain the three types of symbiotic relationships.
Question 13 answer
 Mutualistic: both benefit
 Commensalism: one benefits, other
neutral
 Parasitism: One benefits, the other
harmed.
Question 14
 What are the 2 ways that populations can increase
and decrease? Explain them.
Question 14 Answer
 Decrease
 Death
 Emigration: individuals move out of a population
(E=EXIT)
 Increase:
 Immigration: individuals move into a population
(I=INTO)
 Birth
Question 15
 What is the difference between an exponential
growth and a logistic growth?
Question 15 answer
 Exponential: Individuals reproduce at a constant rate
under ideal conditions; dramatic increase. J-shape.
 Logistic: population rises exponentially and then
growth sloes as the population reaches its carrying
capacity. S-Shape.
Question 16
 What is a carrying capacity?
Question 16 answer
 Carrying capacity is the maximum number of
individuals of a particular environment that the
environment can normally & consistently support.
Question 17
 Describe the difference between density-dependent
and density-independent limiting factors. Use a plant
as an example to discuss some things that may limit
plant growth.
Question 17 answer
 Density-dependent: affect by the number of individuals in
a population. Examples: competition, predation,
parasitism, disease.
 Density-independent: Aspects of the environment that
limit population growth regardless of population size.
Examples: unusual weather, natural disasters, human
activities.
 Plant Example: if there is a nutrient that is lacking in soil,
that will inhibit plant growth (limits plant growth) (also
seen as a limiting factor).
Question 18
 Describe the difference between primary and
secondary succession.
Question 18 answer
 Primary: The establishment and development of an
ecosystem in an area that was previously uninhabited.
Example: on the rock surface created following a
volcanic eruption
 Secondary: The reestablishment of a damaged
ecosystem in an area where the soil was left intact.
Can happen many times in the same ecosystem.
Question 19
 What characteristics determine a biome?
Question 19 Answer
 Abiotic factors (i.e. climate) – Most important factor
in determining a biome.
 Biomes of the same type have similar plant and
animal species
Question 20
 How has the human population been able to grow
and not yet reach its carrying capacity?
Question 20 Answer
 Technology has helped increase Earth’s carrying
capacity.
 Gas-powered farm equipment, medical advancements
Question 21
 Explain the difference between renewable and nonrenewable forms of energy.
Question 21 answer
 Nonrenewables are used faster than they can be
formed. Ex: coal, oil, gas
 Renewables cannot be used up or can replenish
themselves in a relatively short period of time. Ex:
sun, wind water.
Question 22
 List 3 different ways the burning of fossil fuels has
changed our atmosphere.
Question 22 answer
 Smog (Air)
 Acid rain (Water)
 Global warming caused by increased CO2 levels in the
atmosphere
Question 23
 How does habitat fragmentation disrupt an
ecosystem?
Question 23 Answer
 Habitat fragmentation prevents an organism from
accessing its entire home range by forming a barrier
within the habitat. Can disrupt mating habits,
migration patterns, etc.
 Positive: Can lead to speciation (more biodiversity)
Question 24
 Explain how introduced species and invasive species
can disrupt other organisms in an ecosystem.
Question 24 answer
 Invasive species are introduced species that are highly
successful because they invade. They can push out
native species by overtaking their niche, pushing
them out of their habitat, eating their food, preying
on them, etc.
 Introduced species can be beneficial in that they
provide a new feeding relationship, or a positive
benefit on their new ecosystem.
Question 25
 Explain what it means when a community in an
ecosystem has reached equilibrium.
Question 25 answer
 If a community has reached their equilibrium then
they have the same number and types of organisms
over the course of many years.
Question 26
 What is an estuary? What is a watershed? Where
would expect to find more biodiversity and why?
Question 26 answer
 An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed
where a river flows into an ocean. Mixture of freshwater
and salt water.
 A water shed is a region of land that drains into a river,
river system, or another body of water.
 An estuary would support more biodiversity because there
are high level of nutrients found here. Life thrives here.
Lots of biodiversity
Question 27
 The below graph shows the relationship between a
predator (Canada lynx) and its prey (snowshoe hare)
on an island. Identify and explain the relationship
between the predator and prey’s population size.
Does the predator (lynx) ever completely eliminate
the prey (hare) population?
Question 27 Answer
 When the hare increases there is a later increase in
the lynx, this is because the lynx preys upon the hare.
When the lynx eats the hare, the hare population
goes down, then later the lynx population goes down
because their food source decreased.
 The lynx never completely eliminates the hare
population, due to their predator prey relationship,
the keep each others populations in check.