Name: ______Date: ______Block: ______

Quiz: Overview of Ecology

(20 Points)

1.  Which level of this food pyramid represents the largest biomass?

a.  Bass

b.  Algae

c.  Minnows

d.  Copepods

2.  Around hot-water vents deep in the ocean live specialized communities. Bacteria turn hydrogen sulfide into sugars by a chemical process. The bacteria then provide food to other life forms, as shown in the diagram. Compared to food chains on land, the bacteria fill the same role as —

a.  mushrooms

b.  hawks

c.  green plants

d.  rabbits

3.  Energy is transferred from insects to fish in this system by —

a.  decaying processes

b.  radiation

c.  water

d.  food consumption

4.  Some plant roots grow with mycorrhizal fungi. The fungi absorb water and minerals and pass them on to the plant and receive carbohydrates from the plant. This is an example of —

a.  mutualism

b.  competition

c.  predation

d.  parasitism

5.  In the graph above, what is the population of deer at the carrying capacity of the environment?

a.  50

b.  10

c.  70

d.  30

6.  Which order of diagrams would show primary succession in an area that had never before been occupied by living organisms?

a.  D, B, C, A

b.  C, A, B, D

c.  A, C, B, D

d.  B, A, C, D

7.  In 1893, a one-million acre area of the Grand Canyon National Forest Reserve was home to an estimated 3,000 Rocky Mountain mule deer. Cattle, sheep, and horses also roamed the reserve. In 1906, government hunters killed off hundreds of mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats when the area was set aside as the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve. The number of Rocky Mountain mule deer rose to over 100,000 by 1923. What was the approximate density of the mule deer in 1923?

a.  1 for every 100 acres

b.  1 for every acre

c.  1 for every 1,000 acres

d.  1 for every 10 acres

8.  Many of the forests of Virginia have been cleared for farmland. Which of these would least affect the time it would take to return a farm to forest conditions?

a.  The ability of the farmland to retain moisture

b.  The number of viable tree seeds on the land

c.  The density of the original forest on the farm

d.  The amount of available nutrients in the soil

9.  Each drawing represents different stages in community succession within the state of Virginia. Which of the following drawings represents the climax community in this succession pattern?

a.  F

b.  G

c.  H

d.  I

10.  If transpiration stopped completely, how would a plant’s homeostasis first be affected?

a.  More carbon dioxide molecules would be taken in by leaves.

b.  Fewer sugars stored in roots and stems would diffuse into the soil.

c.  Carbohydrates would no longer be formed.

d.  Water molecules would not be released from leaves.

  1. The food chain above can be found in the coastal waters of Virginia. The population of which organism in the food chain would be the first to decline if commercial fishing over-harvested shrimp?
  1. Algae
  2. Zooplankton
  3. Damselfish
  4. Barracuda

12.  What is the term for each step in the transfer of energy and matter within a food web?

a.  energy path

b.  food chain

c.  trophic level

d.  food pyramid

13.  Ecosystems are shaped by abiotic and biotic factors. The biome we currently live in is called a deciduous forest. List one biotic factor and one abiotic factor that are found in this biome.

·  Abiotic: ______

·  Biotic: ______

Graph I shows the growth curve for a culture of Paramecium aurelia. Graph II shows the growth curve for a culture of Paramecium caudatum, a larger species. Graph III shows the growth curves of both species when they are grown together.

14.  Which species has the greatest initial growth rate when they are grown in separate cultures?

15.  Which species has the greater growth rate overall when the species are grown together?

16.  What type of population growth curve can be observed in Graphs I and II?

17.  What is the most likely explanation for the decline of the P. caudatum shown in Graph III?