Ecosystems and Biomes

In a typical ecosystem, what percentage of the energy produced by the autotrophs then consumed by the primary consumers will be passed along to the secondary consumers? a. 1% b. 10% c. 0.7% d. 7%

a

The lowest, most basic level at which ecology is studied is: a. the organismal level b. the molecular level c. the cellular level d. the population level e. the biosphere

a

What is a habitat? a. An area that is suitable for a particular organism to live in. b. One of the world's major ecosystem types that is classified according to its predominant vegetation and climate. c. An undisturbed area of nature. d. All organisms and all abiotic factors within a geographic location.

a

What is a niche? a. The role that is played by a particular species in an ecosystem. b. The type of prey that a predator hunts. c. The area where a predator hunts. d. An area that is suitable for a particular organism to live in.

a

What is a population? a. All of the individual organisms belonging to the same species within a geographical area. b. All of the individual organisms of all the different species within a geographical area. c. A group of organisms of the same species that live together and function as a unit. d. All of the communities within a geographical area. e. All of the ecosystems on the planet combined.

a

Which of the following is a density-independent factor that does not become more limiting as the population increases? a. Flash flood from a thunderstorm b. Available habitat c. Water d. Reproductive rate

a

Which of the following is true about deserts? a. Although they cannot support a large biomass, they can support a surprising variety of plant and animal life. b. On a per-acre basis, they are the least productive biome on Earth. c. They are only found in tropical regions. d. Only small plants and animals can survive in the desert. e. They're mostly just sand with maybe a few cacti, lizards and snakes.

a

Floating organisms that drift with the ocean current and form the base of many food chains are known as a. algae b. plankton c. jellyfish d. squid e. seaweed

b

How many trophic levels does an omnivore feed on within an ecosystem? a. 2 b. Omnivores feed at all trophic levels. c. 3 d. None, because the various trophic levels do not apply to omnivores.

b

In which of the following biomes would you expect to find a complete absence of plant life. a. chaparral b. extreme desert c. taiga d. tundra e. desert

b

On a total net basis, which biome is the most productive? a. Estuaries b. Open Ocean c. Tropical Rainforests d. Coral Reefs e. Savanna

b

The largest biome on our planet is the _____ biome. a. desert b. open ocean c. tundra d. freshwater e. rainforest

b

The prickly pear cactus is a producer. Which of the following organisms is a primary consumer of a prickly pear cactus? a. Red-tailed Hawk b. Harris's Antelope Squirrel c. Rattlesnake d. Vulture

b

What is an ecosystem? a. All of the environments and all of the communities on the planet b. The populations of all species and all abiotic factors within a geographical area. c. All abiotic factors within a geographical area d. The populations of all species within a geographical area e. All of the individual organisms belonging to the same species within a geographical area

b

Which of the following is not an abiotic factor? a. Climate. b. Amount of tree cover. c. Soil type. d. Elevation.

b

Which part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range receives the highest amount of rainfall? a. Lower elevations of the Western slopes b. Higher elevations of the Western slopes c. Rainfall is evenly distributed over all areas of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. d. Lower elevations of the Eastern slopes e. Higher elevations of the Eastern slopes.

b

Why can cheetahs and lions coexist together on the plains of the Masai Mara National Reserve? a. Migration allows them to follow their food source, the wildebeest. b. Different hunting styles allow them to fill different niches. c. Cheetahs can outrun lions. d. Lions and cheetahs mark their territory. Lions stay out of cheetah territory and cheetahs stay out of lion territory.

b

Why is primary production important to humans? a. Primary production areas produce carbon dioxide and food sources. Areas of low production produce more oxygen that is beneficial to humans. b. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the air and create oxygen. Primary production areas also provide humans and other species with food sources. Low production areas are still beneficial because they are home to rare species. c. Primary production provides food sources therefore area of low production doesn't have any benefit to humans. d. Primary production areas use oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and food sources. Low production areas are home to rare species that are not important to humans.

b

If a plant species is endemic to Mt. Kilimanjaro, what does that mean? a. The plant used to live on Mt. Kilimanjaro but is now extinct from that area. b. The plant is naturally found on Mt. Kilimanjaro and wasn't introduced by people. c. The plant naturally grows only on Mt. Kilimanjaro and nowhere else in the world. d. The plant is only found on very high mountains. e. The plant is found on Mt. Kilimanjaro, but it isn't native.

c

The temperature of the ocean is _____ all over the world. a. cold b. the same as freshwater c. different d. warm e. the same

c

What are the ingredients and end product of photosynthesis? a. Oxygen, water, organic salts, and energy from sunlight make complex organic molecules. b. Carbon dioxide, water, inorganic salts, and energy from sunlight make simple inorganic molecules. c. Carbon dioxide, water, inorganic salts, and energy from sunlight make complex organic molecules. d. Carbon dioxide, water, oxygen, and energy from sunlight make complex organic molecules. e. Oxygen, water, organic salts, and energy from sunlight make simple inorganic molecules.

c

What can an herbivore be categorized as? a. An autotroph b. A detritivore c. A primary consumer d. A producer

c

What constitutes a food web? a. A sequence of organisms that feed on each other. b. A complex food chain that consists of omnivores who feed on both herbivores and other omnivores. c. A combination of food chains that are interconnected to create a network of feeding relationships. d. A sequence of omnivores who feed on each other.

c

What factors differentiate high level primary production areas from moderate or low level production areas? a. The types of plants and the weather conditions b. The amount of sunlight and water c. The amount of water, nutrients, sunlight and optimal temperatures d. The amounts of water the plants can absorb e. The nutrients and sunlight

c

Which concept best describes ecology? a. How organisms interact with each other. b. How organisms are affected by their environment. c. All concepts describe ecology. d. How organisms affect the environment they live in.

c

_____ percent of marine life lives in the upper zone of the ocean that receives sunlight. a. 75 b. 50 c. 90 d. 40 e. 80

c

What are the two terms for describing plants that use photosynthesis to create their own food? a. Autotrophs and secondary producers b. Primary producers and photosynthesizers c. Primary producers and autographs d. Autotrophs and primary producers e. Autotrophs and biomass producers

d

What kinds of conditions are typical of areas with temperate deciduous forests? a. temperate regions with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers b. tropical climate that changes in a seasonal pattern from cool and dry, to hot and dry, then warm and wet c. less than twelve inches of rainfall per year d. mid-latitudes, warm and wet summers, cold winters e. areas near the equator that receive over 100 inches of rainfall per year

d

Which biome has the greatest species richness? a. temperate deciduous forests b. freshwater aquatic c. desert d. tropical rainforests e. coral reefs

d

What is a taiga biome? a. A biome characterized by vast marshes. b. A biome characterized by extremely cold environments with very short growing seasons that can barely support small plant growth. c. A biome characterized by extremely cold temperatures and a complete absence of plant growth. d. A biome characterized by open grassland and a temperate climate. e. biome characterized by forests composed of evergreen conifers.

e

What is the proper definition for primary production? a. The amount of recycled organic material, or biomass, created by the primary producers in an ecosystem. b. The amount of new organic material, or bioplants, created by the primary producers in an ecosystem. c. The amount of new organic material, or biomass, created by secondary producers in an ecosystem. d. The amount of new inorganic material, or bioplants, created by the primary producers in an ecosystem. e. The amount of new organic material, or biomass, created by the primary producers in an ecosystem.

e

Which of the following is true about all environments? a. An environment cannot be smaller than a house. b. An environment cannot be changed by the organisms living in it. c. An environment cannot be larger than a continent. d. An environment must be strictly abiotic. e. An environment includes factors such as temperature, light, water, air, soil, and nutrients that surround an organism.

e

Which of the following is true about savannas? a. They are tropical grasslands b. On a per-acre basis, they contain the largest biomass of any biome on Earth c. They are the most productive biome on Earth. d. They get less than twelve inches of rain per year. e. They are grasslands interspersed with trees that occur in temperate and tropical climates.

e

_____ is a measure of the salt content of ocean water. a. Density b. Saltine c. Pressure d. Temperature e. Salinity

e

Which of the following statements about estuaries are true? A. They are the gateway to freshwater breeding grounds of some marine animals B. They are the breeding grounds for many types of aquatic animals C. Estuaries are resistant to pollution because the constant inflow of freshwater flushes the pollutants out into the ocean. D. They are areas where freshwater streams or rivers merge with the sea a. Statements A, B, and C are true. b. None of these statements are true. c. Statements B, C, and D are true. d. All of these statements are true. e. Statements C and D are true. f. Statements A, B, and D are true.

f