Unit 1 Ecology Test Gifted Form: B CLASS SET - PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS TEST! 1. Decomposers are important in the food chain because they 3. A marine food web is shown below. A. produce their own food using light from the Sun. B. stop the flow of energy from one organism to another. C. break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients into the soil. D. are microscopic and other organisms cannot consume them. 2. Lightning from a thunderstorm strikes a tree that falls to the forest floor and dies. During the next few years the dead tree undergoes many changes. What organisms are most likely responsible for the biological and chemical changes to the tree? A. consumers B. decomposers C. predators D. producers Which chart correctly shows three of the organisms according to their roles in cycling matter in the marine food web? A. B. C. D. page 1
4. If a paleontologist finds fossils of many different species existing in the same area at approximately the same time, the paleontologist can conclude that the ecosystem in this area had a high degree of A. climatic variation. B. episodic speciation. C. biological diversity. D. geographic isolation. 5. How do nitrogen-fixing bacteria help cycle nitrogen through ecosystems? A. They release nitrogen into the atmosphere when they replicate their DNA. 7. Tropical rain forests have more plant growth than any other type of environment. This may be because rain forests get more rain than other environments. What is another reasonable scientific explanation for rain forests having the most plant growth? A. Temperatures are warm all year long in the rain forests. B. People do not cut down trees in the rain forest. C. The leaves high in the rain forest canopy absorb most of the sunlight. D. Many birds and insects in the rain forest eat plants. 8. Use the diagram below to answer the following question. B. They convert sunlight into chemical energy which is then stored in the nitrogen. C. They convert ammonia from animal feces and urine into forms that plants can use. D. They capture nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into forms that plants can use. 6. The growth rate of a local population is dependent on the birth rate minus the death rate and. A. the ratio of males to females in the population B. the lifespan of females beyond the reproductive age C. the amount of genetic variation that exists in the population D. the immigration and emigration of individuals to and from the population. The diagram shows a lake ecosystem divided into three life zones. Why is more diversity of life found in zone 1? A. This zone receives the most sunlight. B. The other two zones donmt have dissolved oxygen. C. It receives longer periods of sunlight daily. D. It is always warmer than the other two zones. Form: B page 2 Unit 1 Ecology Test Gifted
9. The diagram below shows an energy pyramid. 11. What do scientists mean when they refer to a population? A. all the organisms in an ecosystem B. all the species that share similar anatomical features C. all the animals that acquire resources through similar methods Approximately how much energy is available to the secondary consumers in this energy pyramid? A. 10 kcal/m 2 /year B. 100 kcal/m 2 /year C. 1,000 kcal/m 2 /year D. 5,000 kcal/m 2 /year 10. The picture below shows an energy pyramid. D. all the interbreeding members of a certain species in an ecosystem 12. What is the function of autotrophs in the carbon cycle? A. to use oxygen to produce glucose B. to take in excess water C. to use carbon dioxide to produce glucose D. to feed on herbivores 13. Which is the best example of a natural cause of population decline in an ecosystem? A. Air pollution B. Strip mining C. Pesticides D. Disease What will most likely happen to the foxes and the wolves if the rabbits are removed? A. The foxes will eat more wolves. B. The foxes will eat fewer wolves. C. There will be more foxes and wolves. D. There will be fewer foxes and wolves. Form: B page 3 Unit 1 Ecology Test Gifted
14. The diagram shows part of an aquatic food web for a stable lake ecosystem in Connecticut. 17. The graph below shows the population of mice living in a certain area over a fifteen-year period. Which numeral on the graph points to a time when the birth rate exceeded the death rate of the mice? What is the source of energy for the algae? A. waves B. sunlight C. bacteria D. rotifers, water fleas and tadpoles 15. Salt concentration, water temperature, plankton, and the whale shark might all be used in a description of an ocean A. climate. B. food web. C. ecosystem. D. population. 16. Cellular respiration, decomposition, combustion, and photosynthesis are processes that drive which of the following cycles in ecosystems? A. I B. II C. III D. IV 18. Legumes, such as clover and alfalfa, have nodules on their roots that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These bacteria convert nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into nitrates. Which of the following best accounts for the presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legume root nodules? A. Nitrates are a food source for earthworms. B. Plants can use nitrates, but not nitrogen gas. C. Nitrates are one of the reactants in photosynthesis. D. Nitrogen gas is toxic to most plants, but nitrates are nontoxic. A. the carbon cycle B. the nitrogen cycle C. the phosphorus cycle D. the water cycle 19. The highest concentration of life exists in the top 200 meters of ocean water. The most important factor that influences this concentration of life is the A. amount of gases at the surface. B. amount of nutrients in the water. C. large number of predators at lower depths. D. amount of sunlight. Form: B page 4 Unit 1 Ecology Test Gifted
20. Use the table below to answer the following question. Climate Plants Animals Location Characteristics of the Biome warm temperatures, seasonal rainfall tall grasses, small trees, and shrubs lions, zebras, elephants, giraffes East Africa Which biome is described in the table? A. ocean B. desert C. tundra D. grassland 21. How can humans best help an endangered species avoid extinction? 24. Which of the following human activities reduces biodiversity? A. prohibiting hunting in wildlife preserves B. taking tissue samples from members of endangered species C. planting only native grass species to prevent erosion beside highways D. planting only red pine trees to replace native hardwood forests cut for lumber 25. In a large forest with many animals, there are only a small number of bears. Which of these most likely limits the population of bears in the forest? A. They can feed the animals. B. They can put the animals in a zoo. C. They can protect the animal s habitat. D. They can take the animal to new habitats. A. supply of food B. type of tree C. predation by carnivores D. amount of suitable shelter 22. Where is most of Earth s water located? A. glaciers B. lakes C. oceans D. rivers 23. After a volcanic eruption has covered an area with lava, which of the following is the most likely order of succession in the repopulation of the area? A. lichens grasses shrubs trees B. mosses grasses lichens trees C. grasses trees mosses lichens D. shrubs grasses trees lichens Form: B page 5 Unit 1 Ecology Test Gifted
26. Which model correctly shows energy flow in a food chain? A. B. 28. Which statement best describes how birth and death rates compare in a population at carrying capacity? A. The birth rate is greater than the death rate. B. The birth rate is less than the death rate. C. The birth rate is equal to the death rate. D. The birth rate and the death rate are zero. 29. Which of the following climates has cold winters and hot summers? C. D. A. polar B. subtropical C. temperate D. tropical 30. Which of the following is always a result of immigration into a population? A. New individuals are added to the population. B. Some individuals are forced to leave the population. 27. The picture below shows an ocean bay food chain. C. The survival rate of the individuals in the population increases. D. The genetic diversity among the individuals in the population decreases. Sea otters move into the ocean bay. They eat all the sea urchins. This change will cause the A. kelp to have less food. B. crabs to have more food. C. sea ducks to have less food. D. arctic foxes to have more food. Form: B page 6 Unit 1 Ecology Test Gifted
31. The picture below shows the water cycle. 34. During periods of increased global temperatures, which of the following is most likely to occur? A. a decrease in atmospheric CO 2 B. an increase in atmospheric CO 2 C. a decrease in earthquakes D. an increase in earthquakes 35. Use the diagram below to answer the question. Water on Earth cycles in different forms and in different locations. Which process occurs at the location labeled X on this diagram of the water cycle? A. condensation B. evaporation C. runoff D. transpiration 32. Which of the following is an example of emigration? A. A small number of hummingbirds leave an island. In this energy pyramid, which organism would most likely be in level 2? A. bird B. fox C. caterpillar D. tree B. A large number of hummingbirds die in a hurricane. C. A species of hummingbird lays its eggs in the summer months. D. A species of hummingbird adapts to its environment over time. 33. Carbon in the atmosphere is most often found as which of the following compounds? A. stratospheric ozone B. fossil fuel C. carbon monoxide D. carbon dioxide Form: B page 7 Unit 1 Ecology Test Gifted
36. A prairie ecosystem includes many different organisms, such as grasses, coyotes, trees, mushrooms, snakes, and mice, as shown in the picture below. The energy needed by all the organisms in the ecosystem comes from one primary source. 37. Many farmers use fertilizers on crops. Explain how the use of fertilizers on crops affects the cycling of matter in an ecosystem. In your explanation, be sure to include the impact of nutrient flow in an ecosystem the impact of too many nutrients on an ecosystem Write your answer in the space provided. 38. a) Identify the primary source of energy in the prairie ecosystem. b) Identify one producer, one consumer, and one decomposer shown in the picture of the prairie ecosystem. c) Explain how the energy from the primary source you identified in previously moves through the prairie ecosystem. Be sure to include producers, consumers, and decomposers in your answer. The diagram above shows a region near the coast of a large continent. A range of high, snowcapped mountains lies near the ocean. There is a farm between the mountains and the forest. The following question(s) ask(s) you to think about water and the water cycle as the system shows in the diagram. In that system, water exists as a gas. a liquid, and a solid. Describe how water in the lake can become snow on the mountains in the system shown in the diagram. Form: B page 8 Unit 1 Ecology Test Gifted