Name: 9477-1 - Page 1 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) The ecological niche of an organism refers to the A) relation of the organism to humans B) biosphere in which the organism lives C) position of the organism in a food web D) role the organism plays in the community Which event illustrates the interaction of an abiotic factor with a biotic factor in the environment? A) A gypsy moth caterpillar eats the leaves of an apple tree. B) The lamprey eel survives by parasitizing trout. C) The low light intensity of the forest affects the growth of pine trees. D) The temperature of water affects its oxygen level. Which is a biotic factor that affects the size of a population in a specific ecosystem? A) the average temperature of the ecosystem B) the number and kinds of soil minerals in the ecosystem C) the number and kinds of predators in the ecosystem D) the concentration of oxygen in the ecosystem In a freshwater pond community, a carp eats decaying material from around the bases of underwater plants, while a snail scrapes algae from the leaves and stems of the same plants. They can survive at the same time because they occupy A) the same habitat and the same niche B) the same habitat, but different niches C) the same niche, but different habitats D) different habitats and niches The acacia tree is protected from other insects by a certain species of ant. The ants, in turn feed on a sweet secretion produced by the tree. This type of nutritional relationship is known as A) mutualism B) parasitism C) commensalism D) saprophytism 6) 7) 8) At times hyenas will feed on the remains of animals they, themselves, have not killed. At other times they will kill other animals for food. Based on their feeding habits, hyenas are best described as A) herbivores and predators B) herbivores and parasites C) scavengers and predators D) scavengers and parasites A scorpion stalks, kills, and then eats a spider. Based on its behavior, which ecological terms describe the scorpion? A) producer, herbivore, decomposer B) predator, carnivore, consumer C) producer, carnivore, heterotroph D) predator, autotroph, herbivore Decomposition and decay of organic matter are accomplished by the action of A) viruses and algae B) green plants C) scavengers D) bacteria and fungi Questions 9 through 11 refer to the following: The following represents a food chain: rosebush ˆ aphid ˆ ladybird beetle ˆ spider ˆ toad ˆ snake 9) 10) Which organism in the food chain can transform light energy into chemical energy? A) spider B) rosebush C) snake D) ladybird beetle At which stage in the food chain will the population with the smallest number of animals probably be found? A) spider B) snake C) aphid D) ladybird beetle
11) 12) Which organism in this food chain is herbivorous? A) ladybird beetle B) rosebush C) toad D) aphid Which diagram best represents the usual relationships of biomass in a stable community? Questions 14 and 15 refer to the following: 9477-1 - Page 2 The diagram below shows different species of organisms interacting with each other in and around a pond environment. A) B) C) 14) Which organisms are classified as herbivores? 13) D) Compared to the energy contained in the plants eaten by cows, the amount of energy available to the organisms that eat the cows is less, since cows A) store all their energy in milk B) use energy for their own metabolism C) convert solar energy to food D) reproduce rapidly and pass on most of the energy to their offspring 15) A) algae, tadpole, raccoon B) grasshopper, bacteria, frog C) tadpole, worm, grasshopper D) worm, snake, bacteria Which statement about the algae and grass is true? A) They parasitize the animals that consume them. B) They decompose nutrients from dead organisms. C) They contain the greatest amount of stored energy. D) They are classified as omnivores. 16) The elements stored in living cells of organisms in a community will eventually be returned to the soil for use by other living organisms. The organisms which carry out this process are A) herbivores B) carnivores C) producers D) decomposers
17) 18) 19) Which group in the food web represented below would most likely have the greatest biomass? A) snakes and raccoons B) corn and oats C) hawks and owls D) mice and rats The diagram below represents an energy pyramid for a pond. Which level of consumers contains the largest percentage of total stored energy? A) A B) B C) C D) D Two different species of insect-eating birds feed and nest at different levels in the same evergreen tree. In this way they avoid A) competition B) succession C) parasites D) predators 20) An overpopulation of deer in a certain area will most likely lead to A) a decrease in the number of predators of the deer B) an increase in the number of autotrophs available for food C) an increase in competition between the deer D) a decrease in the incidence of disease 21) Location A: plowed field ˆ grasses ˆ shrubs ˆ poplar and pine trees ˆ oak-hickory forest Location B: bare rock ˆ lichens ˆ mosses ˆ grasses ˆ tropical shrubs ˆ palm trees Location C: plowed field ˆ grasses 22) What are the pioneer organisms in these locations? A) shrubs and palm trees B) oak, hickory, and palm trees C) grasses and lichens D) mosses and shrubs 9477-1 - Page 3 Ten breeding pairs of rabbits are introduced onto an island with no natural predators and a good supply of water and food. What will most likely happen to the rabbit population? A) It will remain relatively constant due to equal birth and death rates. B) It will decrease and then increase indefinitely. C) It will die out due to an increase in the mutation rate. D) It will increase until it exceeds carrying capacity.
9477-1 - Page 4 23) The growth of a population is shown in the graph below. 25) Which statement describes all stable ecosystems? A) The number of autotrophs equals the number of heterotrophs. B) Herbivores provide energy for the autotrophs. C) The populations of predators are dependent on the populations of their prey. D) Consumers synthesize ATP from light energy. 26) The removal of nearly all the predators from an ecosystem would most likely result in 24) Which letter indicates the carrying capacity of the environment for this population? A) A B) B C) C D) D The ecological niches of three bird species are shown in the diagram below. 27) A) an increase in the number of herbivores B) an increase in the number of carnivore species C) a decrease in new predators migrating into the ecosystem D) a decrease in the size of decomposers When brown tree snakes were accidentally introduced onto the island of Guam, they had no natural predators. These snakes sought out and ate many of the eggs of insect-eating birds. What probably occurred following the introduction of the brown tree snakes? A) The bird population increased. B) The bird population began to seek a new food source. C) The insect population began to seek a new food source. D) The insect population increased. What is the advantage of each bird species having a different niche? A) There is less competition for food. B) Predators are less likely to feed on birds in a variety of locations. C) More abiotic resources are available for each bird. D) As the birds feed higher in the tree, available energy increases.
28) Four students each drew an illustration to show the flow of energy in a field ecosystem. Which illustration is most accurate? 30) 9477-1 - Page 5 The diagram below represents an energy pyramid. A) B) 29) C) D) Two food chains are represented below. Food chain A: aquatic plant insect frog hawk Food chain B: grass rabbit hawk Decomposers are important for supplying energy for A) food chain A, only B) food chain B, only C) neither food chain A nor food chain B D) both food chain A and food chain B 31) 32) Which statement about the energy pyramid shown is correct? A) The total amount of energy at level D is less than the total amount of energy at level B. B) The total amount of energy decreases with each successive feeding level from D to A. C) The amount of energy is identical in each level of the pyramid. D) The amount of energy needed to sustain the pyramid enters at level D. Cutting down a rain forest and planting agricultural crops, such as coffee plants, would most likely result in A) an increase in the amount of energy recycled B) a decrease in erosion C) an increase in the amount of photosynthesis D) a decrease in biodiversity Which is a characteristic of a natural selfsustaining ecosystem? A) The number of animals is greater than the number of plants. B) Available energy is present in the producers, but not in the consumers. C) No energy is lost at any feeding level. D) Materials are cycled between the organisms and their environment.
9477-1 - Page 6 33) 34) Which description belongs in box 3? A) derives nourishment from human body fluids B) carries on autotrophic nutrition in the tropical forest biome C) feeds on dead animals, assisting in the recycling of nutrients D) stalks, kills, and eats fish in deep ocean environments Which statement is best supported by the diagram below of the carbon-oxygen cycle? A) Combustion adds oxygen to the atmosphere and removes carbon dioxide. B) Producers generate oxygen and utilize carbon dioxide. C) Decomposers add oxygen to the atmosphere and remove carbon dioxide. D) Consumers generate oxygen and utilize carbon dioxide.
35) 9477-1 - Page 7 Which statement best describes the fruit fly population in the part of the curve labeled X in the graph shown below? 36) A) The fruit fly population has an average lifespan of 36 days. B) The fruit fly population has reached the number of organisms the habitat can support. C) The fruit fly population can no longer mate and produce fertile offspring. D) The fruit fly population is no longer able to adapt to the changing environmental conditions. A cycling of materials is represented in the diagram below. Which statement is supported by events shown in the diagram? A) Materials are cycled between the living and nonliving components of the environment. B) Materials are cycled between heterotrophic organisms, only C) Materials are cycled between living organisms, only. D) Materials are cycled between the physical factors of the environment by the processes of condensation and evaporation.
37) The diagram below represents a marine biome. 9477-1 - Page 8 Autotrophs in zones A through C depend on the metabolic activities of other organisms for a continuing supply of A) respiratory enzymes B) carbon dioxide C) carbohydrates D) water 38) A field study was conducted to observe a deer population in a given region over time. The deer were counted at different intervals over a period of 40 years. During this period of time, both ranching and hunting increased in the study region. A summary of the data is presented in the table below. Using one or more complete sentences, state one possible action that could have been used to help maintain a more stable population of deer in the area.
39) 9477-1 - Page 9 The variety of organisms known as plankton contributes to the unique nutritional relationships in an ocean ecosystem. Phytoplankton include algae and other floating organisms that perform photosynthesis. Plankton that cannot produce food are known as zooplankton. Some nutritional relationships involving these organisms and several others are shown in the table below. Complete the food web below by placing the names of the organisms from the table into the correct locations.
Questions 40 through 43 refer to the following: A student uses a covered aquarium to study the interactions of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem. The aquarium contains sand, various water plants, algae, small fish, snails, and decomposers. The water contains dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide, as well as tiny amounts of minerals and salts. 40) Explain how oxygen is cycled between organisms in the ecosystem described in the paragraph. 43) 44) 9477-1 - Page 10 Describe one specific way the use of this food by the decomposers benefits the other organisms in the aquarium mentioned in the paragraph. The diagram below represents a food web. 41) Describe one specific way the fish population changes the amount of one specific abiotic factor (other than oxygen) in the ecosystem described in the paragraph. 42) Identify one source of food for the decomposers in the ecosystem described in the paragraph. The arrows only point away from "Grasses, shrubs" and not toward them. State one biological reason that this is so.
45) 9477-1 - Page 11 A field study was conducted to observe a deer population in a given region over time. The deer were counted at different intervals over a period of 40 years. During this period of time, both ranching and hunting increased in the study region. A summary of the data is presented in the table below. Using the information in the data table, construct a line graph on the grid, following the directions below. (1) Mark an appropriate scale on each labeled axis. (2) Plot the data for the deer population on the grid. Surround each point with a small circle and connect the points. EXAMPLE:
46) 9477-1 - Page 12 A student placed 10 protozoans of species A and 10 protozoans of species B together in a culture medium. The student counted the number of each species for several days and recorded the results in the data table below. Using the information in the data table, construct a line graph on the grid, following the directions below. (a) Mark an appropriate scale on each labeled axis. (b) Plot the data for species A on the grid. Surround each point with a small circle and connect the points. EXAMPLE: (c) Plot the data for species B on the grid. Surround each point with a small triangle and connect the points. EXAMPLE: (d) Using one or more complete sentences, state a possible reason for the decrease in the population of species B between days 4 and 6.