Download Food Web and Ecological Relationships Quiz

Biology II
Ms. Chen
Name:
Date:
Food Web and Ecological Relationships Quiz
Multiple Choice (2 pts each)
Directions: Circle the best answer.
1. The loss of the producers in an ecosystem would most likely result in which of the following
changes?
A. a decrease in the primary consumers and the secondary consumers
B. an increase in the primary consumers and the secondary consumers
C. an increase in the primary consumers and a decrease in the secondary consumers
D. a decrease in the primary consumers and an increase in the secondary consumers
2. If the producers in a food web were removed, which of the following changes would most
likely occur?
A. The entire food web would collapse over time.
B. The food web would depend on the decomposers for energy.
C. The consumers would begin making energy for the food web.
D. The populations of the remaining organisms in the food web would increase.
3. Within a prey population, which of the following is most immediately affected by the arrival
of a new predator?
A. death rate
B. evolution rate
C. immigration rate
D. maturation rate
4. Yellowstone National Park is a large wildlife area located mostly in Wyoming. Yellowstone
is home to many species of mammals, including elk. The elk feed on grasses and on
cottonwood, aspen, and willow trees. Historically, a significant portion of the elk population
died each winter because winters in Yellowstone were long and very cold, with deep snow.
To which trophic level do elk belong?
A. producer
B. decomposer
C. primary consumer
D. secondary consumer
5. Which of the following best describes the producers in a terrestrial food web?
A. They are at the highest trophic level.
B. They are not affected by decomposers.
C. They convert solar energy to chemical energy.
D. They obtain all their nutrients and energy from consumers.
6. The diagram below shows part of an ocean food web.
Which of the following changes will most likely occur if the sea otter population decreases?
A. The shark population will increase.
B. The seaweed population will increase.
C. The small fish population will increase.
D. The sea urchin population will increase.
7. Ticks carry bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Ticks do not get Lyme disease, but they can
transfer the bacteria to humans, who can get the disease. Which of the following
statements best describes the relationships among the bacteria, the ticks, and the humans?
A. The relationship between the bacteria and the ticks is competition, and the relationship
between the ticks and the humans is predation.
B. The relationship between the bacteria and the ticks is competition, and the relationship
between the ticks and the humans is parasitism.
C. The relationship between the bacteria and the ticks is commensalism, and the relationship
between the ticks and the humans is parasitism.
D. The relationship between the bacteria and the ticks is commensalism, and the relationship
between the ticks and the humans is predation.
8. Which of the following will most likely happen to a predator population if its prey
population decreases?
A. There will be no change in the predator population.
B. There will be a decrease in the predator population over time.
C. There will be an increase in the predator population over time.
D. There will be an immediate extinction of the predator population.
9. A partial food web is shown below. The insect species in this food web are ladybugs, aphids,
caterpillars, and grasshoppers.
Which of the following statements describes what will most likely happen if another animal that
preys on insects enters the community?
A. The plant populations will decrease.
B. The ladybug population will increase.
C. The small bird population will decrease.
D. The grasshopper population will increase.
10. Tapeworms are sometimes found in the small intestines of sheep. A tapeworm attaches to the
intestinal wall using suckers and then absorbs nutrients from the sheep’s intestine. Which of
the following terms describes the relationship between the tapeworm and the sheep?
A. competition
B. herbivory
C. parasitism
D. predation
11. Sea otters are small marine mammals that prey on fish, clams, crabs, and sea urchins. Sea
otters’ natural predators include bears, sharks, and killer whales, but humans have also
threatened sea otter populations. Hunting of sea otters for their fur severely reduced sea otter
populations in the 18th and 19th centuries. After laws and programs were put into place to
protect sea otters, their populations started increasing. Some sea otter populations in Alaska
are now decreasing again. Which of the following is the most likely cause of these
decreases?
A. greater numbers of killer whales
B. larger populations of sea urchins
C. less competition from other marine mammals
D. limited immigration of sea otters from California
12. A food web is shown below.
Which of the following organisms compete for the mouse as a food source?
A. hawk and snake
B. snake and kinglet
C. oak tree and pine tree
D. pine borer and salamander
13. Many lichens are composed of fungi and algae. The fungi get sugars from the algae, and the
algae get water, minerals, and proteins from the fungi. Which of the following
terms best describes the relationship between the organisms in the lichens?
A. commensalism
B. competition
C. mutualism
D. Parasitism
14.
Which of the following relationships exists between the frog and the mayfly?
A. commensalism
B.
competition
C.
mutualism
D.
predation
15. Refer to the food web in question 14. Muskrats are omnivores that live in burrows on the
pond banks. Which of the following would most likely lead to an increase in the size of the
muskrat population over time?
A. increased seed production by cattails
B. increased outbreaks of disease in muskrats
C. increased numbers of predators on muskrats
D. increased amounts of competition from pickerel
16. Refer to the food web in question 14. Which of the following organisms is correctly matched
to its role in the pond ecosystem?
A. soil fungi—decomposer
B. zooplankton—producer
C. water lily—decomposer
D. water snake—primary consumer
17. Part of a marsh food web is shown below.
Which of the following statements correctly describes organisms in this food web?
A. The birds are producers.
B. The algae are consumers.
C. The worms are carnivores.
D. The bacteria are decomposers.
18. In which of the following ways do producers in an ecosystem obtain energy?
A. by consuming other producers
B. by living parasitically on animals
C. by using sunlight to make sugars
D. by breaking down dead organisms
19. A partial food web is shown below.
Which of the following changes is most likely to occur if the sparrow population decreases?
A. The fox population decreases.
B. The hawk population increases.
C. The grasshopper population competes less with the praying mantis population.
D. The hawk population and the fox population prey more heavily on grasshoppers.
20. A partial food web is shown below.
Which of the following will most likely happen if the frog population decreases?
A. Owls will have no source of food.
B. The snake population will increase.
C. Birds will have less competition for food.
D. The grasshopper population will go extinct.
21. Which of the following energy pyramids shows the correct placement of trophic levels?
A.
B.
C.
D.
22. Which of the following relationships is an example of mutualism?
A. A lion eats a gazelle.
B. A virus uses both a bird and a horse as hosts.
C. A bacterium breaks down dead plant materials.
D. A bird eats food particles from a crocodile’s teeth.
23.
Part of a desert food web is diagrammed below.
Which of the following will most likely result if all of the primary consumers are removed from
this ecosystem?
A. Prairie rattlesnakes will become herbivores.
B. Golden eagle and kit fox populations will decrease.
C. Sagebrush grasshoppers will consume soil bacteria.
D. Silk grass and sand sagebrush populations will decrease.
24. Which of the following lists identifies organisms that are producers in food webs?
A. algae, ferns, sunflowers
B.
mushrooms, bacteria, earthworms
C.
termites, red foxes, shrews
D.
woodpeckers, cardinals, grasshoppers
25.
The moose belongs to which trophic level in an ecosystem?
producer
A.
B.
consumer
C.
scavenger
D.
decomposer
26. A marine food web is shown below.
Which of the following diagrams correctly represents an energy pyramid from this web?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Open Response (10 pts each)
Directions: Read each question carefully and answer completely.
1.
The introductory information describes one relationship between organisms in the illustration:
parasitism. All the organisms pictured in this habitat interact in other ways as well.
a. Describe one example of competition between the organisms in the illustration. Name the
organisms involved, describe their interaction, and explain why their interaction is
considered competition.

b. Describe one example of commensalism between the organisms in the illustration. Name
the organisms involved, describe their interaction, and explain why their interaction is
considered commensalism.

2. A small part of a food web for a forest ecosystem is shown below.
a. Classify each of the five organisms in the food web as a producer, a primary consumer, a
secondary consumer, or a tertiary consumer.
b. Identify the type of ecological relationship between salamanders and birds in this food
web.
c. Suppose there is a significant decrease in the bird population. Based on the relationships
in the food web, explain why it would be difficult for ecologists to predict what would
happen to the size of the salamander population.