Ch19 Communities And Ecosystems Test Questions & Answers

Biology: The Essentials, 3e (Hoefnagels)

Chapter 19 Communities and Ecosystems

1) A species that is so important to its community that its removal can dismantle a food web is termed a

A) capstone species.

B) flagstone species.

C) cobblestone species.

D) cornerstone species.

E) keystone species.

2) All the organisms plus the nonliving components of a defined area is a(n)

A) population.

B) community.

C) ecosystem.

D) habitat.

E) niche.

3) Abiotic components of an ecosystem include

A) living components only.

B) both nonliving and living components.

C) only plant life.

D) nonliving components only.

E) only animal life.

4) A genetic change in one species that selects for a subsequent change in a different species is termed

A) coevolution.

B) genetic dispersion.

C) gene dynamics.

D) competitive exclusion.

E) evolutionary dynamics.

5) The physical place where members of a population live is termed a

A) competitive zone.

B) community.

C) habitat.

D) symbiont.

E) niche.

6) The total of all the resources, both biotic and abiotic, that a species exploits for its survival, growth, and reproduction is its

A) competitive zone.

B) habitat.

C) food web.

D) niche.

E) biosphere.

7) When two or more species vie for the same limited resource, ________ occurs.

A) succession

B) symbiosis

C) coevolution

D) stotting

E) competition

8) In ________, multiple species use the same resource in a slightly different way or at a different time.

A) symbiotic inclusion

B) resource partitioning

C) mutualism

D) intraspecific competition

E) No answer is correct.

9) A relationship between different species in which one species lives in or on another is

A) resource partitioning.

B) coevolution.

C) symbiosis.

D) predation.

E) niche sharing.

10) The ________ states that two species cannot coexist indefinitely in the same niche.

A) endosymbiotic theory

B) zonal exclusion theory

C) co-inclusion principle

D) second law of thermodynamics

E) competitive exclusion principle

11) You observe a situation in which a worm and a species of mustard grow better when both are present in an ecosystem, helping one another exploit resources. You are observing

A) predation.

B) parasitism.

C) mutualism.

D) commensalism.

E) intraspecific competition.

12) A type of symbiosis in which one member of the relationship benefits with no effect on the other is

A) predation.

B) mutualism.

C) commensalism.

D) parasitism.

E) intraspecific competition.

13) When a tapeworm steals nutrients from the gut of a mammalian host, that symbiosis is called 

A) predation.

B) mutualism.

C) commensalism.

D) parasitism.

E) intraspecific competition.

14) Which of the following is not a type of symbiosis?

A) parasitism

B) mutualism

C) commensalism

D) predation

E) No answer is correct.

15) If a species makes up a small portion of the community by weight, yet exerts a disproportionate influence on community diversity, it is recognized as a ________ species.

A) keystone

B) cornerstone

C) capstone

D) flagstone

E) No answer is correct.

16) A gradual change in a community's species composition, occurring as competing organisms respond to and modify the physical environment, is referred to as ecological

A) completion.

B) conversion.

C) climax.

D) magnification.

E) succession.

17) In ecology, a ________ community is one that remains fairly constant over time.

A) punctuated

B) climax

C) keystone

D) primary

E) tertiary

18) The type of succession that occurs in an area where no community previously existed is ________ succession.

A) keystone

B) tertiary

C) secondary

D) climax

E) primary

19) Species that are the first to colonize an area are termed ________ species.

A) keystone

B) primary

C) tertiary

D) pioneer

E) secondary

20) A food chain is a series of organisms that

A) transfer energy through feeding relationships.

B) compete for the same food source.

C) exhibit mutualism with each other.

D) exhibit parasitism with each other.

E) succeed one another as a climax community develops.

21) An organism's ________ is its position in the food chain relative to the ecosystem's energy source.

A) habitat

B) niche

C) climax level

D) trophic level

E) keystone level

22) An organism that can use solar energy and inorganic substances to produce all the organic material it requires is a(n)

A) primary producer and heterotroph.

B) heterotroph.

C) autotroph and primary producer.

D) autotroph.

E) primary producer.

23) In the pyramid of energy, organisms that obtain their energy from only eating primary producers are called

A) secondary producers.

B) tertiary consumers.

C) secondary consumers.

D) tertiary producers.

E) primary consumers.

24) Decomposers

A) obtain nutrients from detritus.

B) return organic molecules to their inorganic form.

C) include bacteria.

D) include fungi.

E) All answers are correct.

25) The remaining energy in the producer level that is available for consumers is the

A) net primary consumption.

B) gross primary production.

C) gross primary consumption.

D) net primary production.

E) net energy fixation.

26) "Net primary productivity" is the amount of energy 

A) used in metabolism by producers.

B) given off as heat by producers.

C) trapped by the autotrophs of an ecosystem.

D) available for consumers.

E) used in metabolism by consumers.

27) Which ecosystem would have the highest net primary production?

A) desert

B) tropical rain forest

C) temperate forest

D) boreal forest

E) tundra

28) As an overall average, about ________ of the energy at one trophic level is generally available to the next highest rank in the food chain.

A) 2%

B) 10%

C) 4%

D) 7%

E) 20%

29) Biomagnification occurs with chemicals that

A) dissolve in only acidic solvents.

B) dissolve in water.

C) are not readily degraded and dissolve in fat.

D) are not readily degraded and dissolve in water.

E) dissolve in only basic solvents.

30) Which is not an important biogeochemical cycle on Earth?

A) ATP cycle

B) water cycle

C) carbon cycle

D) phosphorus cycle

E) nitrogen cycle

31) In the water cycle, animals return water to the environment by

A) both transpiration and excretion.

B) excretion only.

C) transpiration only.

D) both respiration and excretion.

32) If you were to shine a lightbulb on a puddle, and the water in the puddle disappeared, you would say that you had added energy to the puddle and had seen 

A) sublimation.

B) condensation.

C) convection.

D) evaporation.

E) All answers are correct.

33) Carbon returns to the atmosphere

A) as carbon dioxide.

B) from respiration of plants.

C) by the burning of fossil fuels.

D) from respiration of animals.

E) All answers are correct.

34) If you gave N2 to a culture of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, you would expect to detect 

A) nitrates.

B) ammonium ions.

C) nitrites.

D) carbon dioxide.

E) methane.

35) ________ bacteria return nitrogen to the atmosphere by converting nitrates to N2.

A) Nitrogen-fixing

B) In nitrification,

C) In denitrification,

D) In transpiration,

E) In respiration,

You go on a canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in Northern Minnesota. This ecosystem is cold most of the year and receives plenty of rainfall. It has many lakes that are full of walleye pike fish. You know that walleye like to eat minnows. In turn, the minnows feed on scuds (zooplankton) which eat algae (phytoplankton).

36) Walleye pike fish are what?

A) secondary consumers

B) tertiary consumers

C) primary consumers

D) producers

E) decomposers

37) In this system, the zooplankton are the

A) tertiary consumers.

B) secondary consumers.

C) producers.

D) decomposers.

E) primary consumers.

38) In this system, mercury released from coal-burning power plants would be at the highest concentration in

A) the phytoplankton.

B) the zooplankton.

C) the minnows.

D) the walleye pike fish.

E) The amount of mercury would be the same in all organisms.

39) If a person takes an antibiotic for a bacterial infection, this can reduce the amount of bacteria in their normal microbiota and allow yeast in their genitourinary tract to flourish, which could result in a yeast infection. This is an example of

A) predation.

B) symbiosis.

C) the competitive exclusion principle.

D) the co-inclusion principle.

E) endosymbiosis.

40) Based on the 10% rule, if there are 10,000 calories of net primary productivity in an ecosystem, how much energy will be generally available to a primary consumer?

A) 100 calories

B) 10,000 calories

C) 10 calories

D) 1,000 calories

E) 1 calorie

41) Based on the 10% rule, if there are 10,000 calories of net primary productivity in an ecosystem, how much energy will be generally available to a secondary consumer?

A) 1,000 calories

B) 100 calories

C) 10,000 calories

D) 10 calories

E) 1 calorie

42) Mycorrhizal fungi contribute to nutrient cycles by aiding in the absorption of minerals, which they share with plants in return for carbohydrates. This shows that nutrient cycling can be an example of

A) commensalism.

B) parasitism.

C) mutualism.

D) predation.

E) herbivory.

43) The concentration of the pesticide DDT is likely highest in which organism?

A) a minnow

B) a mosquito larva

C) a seagull

D) plankton

E) algae

44) The concentration of the pesticide DDT is likely lowest in which organism?

A) a seagull

B) a minnow

C) a mosquito larvae

D) algae

E) plankton

45) Some scientists predict that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase, plant growth will also increase. What is the best explanation for this hypothesis?

A) Plants consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.

B) Plants release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during photosynthesis.

C) Plants consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during respiration.

D) Plants release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during respiration.

E) No answer is correct.

46) Some scientists predict that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase, the pH of the oceans will drop, threatening coral and organisms with shells. What is the best explanation for this hypothesis?

A) Carbon dioxide combines with water to form a base.

B) Carbon dioxide combines with water to form an acid.

C) As the pH of the ocean decreases, more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

D) As the pH of the ocean increases, more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

E) As the oceans warm, more water is evaporated, lowering the pH of the remaining water.

47) Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the roots of soybeans help provide a source of nitrogen to the plants, and in exchange, the bacteria obtain food from the plants. Which type of interaction is this?

A) mutualism

B) commensalism

C) parasitism

D) predation

E) herbivory

48) The term abiotic means nonliving.

49) The reliance of a plant on one type of insect for pollination and that insect having only the nectar of that plant as its food source is an example of coevolution.

50) Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which neither member of the relationship benefits.

51) An example of a keystone species is a root-associated fungus that conifer trees need in order to survive and also supplies food for rodents.

52) If you found a durable organism growing on bare rock and breaking it down into small particles of soil, it would be considered a pioneer species.

53) The species that appear in a climax community usually are short-lived, early-maturing, r-selected species that are strong competitors in a stable environment.

54) Energy can be depleted within an ecosystem.

55) If asked to put an arrow in a diagram showing energy flow through an ecosystem, you would use a single-headed arrow.

56) A network of interconnected food chains is a food web.

57) Raw sewage affects nutrient flow through an ecosystem more than energy flow.

58) The major types of ecosystems are termed

A) habitats.

B) niches.

C) biospheres.

D) terrestrial zones.

E) biomes.

59) Which of the following is NOT an abiotic component or condition of an ecosystem?

A) water

B) archaea

C) rock

D) salinity

E) temperature

60) On Earth, solar energy is most intense at

A) the South Pole.

B) the North Pole.

C) 60°N latitude.

D) the equator.

E) 60°S latitude.

61) The different seasons of the year are caused by the

A) tilt of the Earth's axis as the Earth travels around the Sun.

B) rotation of the Earth around the Sun.

C) rotation of the Earth on its axis.

D) rotation of the moon around the Earth.

E) gravitational pull of the moon as it travels around the Earth.

62) The Earth has a constant tilt of ________ on its axis from its plane of orbit.

A) 12.5 degrees

B) 23.5 degrees

C) 30 degrees

D) 9 degrees

E) 5.5 degrees

63) Which item helps compose a living thing rather then being a major component of soil?

A) rock fragments

B) organic matter

C) microbes

D) bacteria

E) chloroplasts

64) Which of the following is not a major terrestrial biome of Earth?

A) the temperate grasslands

B) the tundra

C) the taiga

D) the Antarctic

E) the tropical rain forest

65) Tropical rain forest soils are usually

A) nutrient-rich.

B) low in organic matter.

C) nutrient-poor and low in organic matter.

D) nutrient-rich and low in organic matter.

E) nutrient-poor.

66) Which of the following is not a characteristic of the tropical rain forest biome?

A) warm climate

B) nutrient-rich soil

C) a year-round growing season for plants

D) a tremendous diversity of animal life

E) a location near the equator

67) Trees that lose only a few leaves at a time are

A) deciduous trees.

B) carnivorous trees.

C) maple trees.

D) hickory trees.

E) coniferous trees.

68) The taiga

A) consists of mostly coniferous trees.

B) has nutrient-rich soil.

C) has a long growing season.

D) is warm and dry.

E) consists of mosses and lichens.

69) A grassland biome

A) consists of mostly coniferous trees.

B) has nutrient-rich soil.

C) has many self-pollinating flowering plants.

D) is warm and dry.

E) consists of mosses and lichens.

70) The yearly rainfall of a desert biome is

A) 150 to 200 centimeters per year.

B) more than 300 centimeters per year.

C) less than 20 centimeters per year.

D) more than 200 centimeters per year.

E) 50 to 100 centimeters per year.

71) Water covers about ________ of the Earth's surface.

A) 33%

B) 40%

C) 50%

D) 70%

E) 80%

72) Which of the following eats free-floating photosynthetic organisms found in lakes?

A) phytoplankton

B) green algae

C) zooplankton

D) cyanobacteria

E) diatom

73) The area where the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean is a(n)

A) intertidal zone.

B) continental shelf.

C) hydrothermal vent.

D) open ocean.

E) estuary.

74) Along coastlines, the area between high tide and low tide is the

A) open ocean.

B) hydrothermal vent.

C) intertidal zone.

D) estuary.

E) continental shelf.

You are hiking in the Colorado Rockies in the summer. You start hiking at 6,000 feet in a warm grassland full of elk. As you climb the mountain, you pass through forests from 8,000–10,000 feet with lots of deer. Above 10,000 feet, you are in an alpine tundra with furry marmots.

75) Which two parameters most influence the location of biomes?

A) altitude and latitude

B) latitude and temperature

C) temperature and precipitation

D) precipitation and altitude

E) precipitation and latitude

76) As you climb the mountain, why are the biomes changing?

A) The air is thinner.

B) The latitude is changing.

C) More rain falls in a rain shadow.

D) Some animals live better at higher elevations.

E) It is colder.

77) What types of plants would you expect to find in an alpine tundra?

A) tall trees

B) aquatic plants

C) lichens and mosses

D) tall grasses

E) cactus

You go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in Northern Minnesota. This ecosystem contains mostly coniferous and a few deciduous trees. It has mild winters and cool summers. It also receives plenty of rainfall.

78) The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is an example of which biome?

A) temperate coniferous forest

B) tropical rainforest

C) short grass prairie

D) tundra

E) temperate rainforest

79) If global temperatures increase, which biome will the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) turn into?

A) tropical rainforest

B) deciduous forest

C) boreal forest

D) short grass prairie

E) tundra

80) At the equator, the Earth receives the

A) maximum amount of solar radiation per unit area.

B) minimum amount of solar radiation per unit area.

C) maximum amount of solar radiation only over the ocean.

D) maximum amount of solar radiation only over the land mass.

E) None of the answer choices are correct.

81) Within convection cells, warm moist air rises from the equator and descends at 20–30 degrees from the equator. Convection cells are partially responsible for the distribution of which two biomes?

A) tropical rain forests and temperate grasslands

B) boreal forests and subtropical deserts

C) tropical rain forests and subtropical deserts

D) tropical rain forests and arctic tundra

E) boreal forests and temperate forests

82) As temperatures in an African savanna increase and rainfall decreases, it would most likely change into

A) taiga.

B) desert.

C) tropical rainforest.

D) temperate forest.

E) tundra.

83) Scientists observed that over the past 40 years, marmots, a type of ground squirrel, are located at increasing elevations on mountains. What is the best explanation for this observation?

A) The marmots are adapting to the cold temperatures.

B) Other species are competing with the marmots for their normal habitat.

C) More snow and rain is falling at the top of the mountains.

D) It is becoming colder at the top of the mountains.

E) It is becoming warmer at the top of the mountains.

84) As temperatures in the Arctic rise, which of the following changes may occur?

A) Tundra will be replaced by taiga.

B) Taiga will be replaced by tundra.

C) Temperate forest will be replaced by taiga.

D) Tundra will be replaced by desert.

E) Taiga will be replaced by temperate rain forest.

85) If you went diving in a freshwater lake, you would see very few rooted aquatic plants after a certain depth. What limits plant growth in deeper water?

A) cold temperatures

B) a lack of nutrients

C) a lack of light

D) too many herbivores

E) a lack of oxygen

86) What is a challenge that organisms living in an intertidal zone face that other aquatic organisms normally do not face?

A) damage from pollution

B) changes in temperature at different depths

C) movement of water

D) light penetrating only through the photic zone

E) daily changes in water depth

87) Why are estuaries and coral reefs more productive than deeper regions of the ocean?

A) They have more access to light and nutrients.

B) They have more access to light and lower salt concentrations in the water.

C) They have more access to light.

D) They have more access to nutrients and lower salt concentrations in the water.

E) They have lower salt concentrations in the water.

88) A coral reef is a complex ________ of calcium carbonate shells that are home to microbes, algae, invertebrates, and fishes, and its high productivity helps provide great species richness.

A) abiotic structure

B) community

C) biome

D) population

E) niche

89) Coral obtains energy

A) by capturing and digesting small animals and through symbiosis with photosynthetic algae.

B) by capturing and digesting small animals.

C) through symbiosis with photosynthetic algae.

D) by performing photosynthesis.

E) by performing photosynthesis and capturing and digesting small animals.

90) Examples of terrestrial biomes are grasslands, forests, lakes, and deserts.

91) Streams lead to rivers that carry water and sediment toward the ocean or an interior basin.

92) The diversity in a kelp forest community can be measured by the number of

A) kelp living in the community.

B) fishes living in the community.

C) abiotic resources utilized by the community.

D) niches in the community.

E) different species of living organisms in the community.

93) Species richness is an important measure of diversity in an ecosystem.

94) Species evenness is an important measure of diversity in an ecosystem.

95) A flowering plant and a bird which occasionally perches on its branches are not likely to coevolve.

96) Competitive exclusion says that two species trying to occupy the same niche in the same ecosystem will not be able to do so indefinitely, one species ultimately outcompeting the other.

97) The chaparral has cool summers with constant rainfall.

98) The photic zone

A) has the most nutrients closer to land.

B) is an area with sufficient light for photosynthesis.

C) has an abundance of photosynthetic organisms.

D) is very shallow.

E) All of the answer choices are correct.

99) A pyramid of energy represents each trophic level as a block whose size is directly proportional to the energy used in that level.

100) Which of the following is not a characteristic of eutrophication?

A) It is caused by sewage entering into waterways.

B) It is caused by fertilizers entering into waterways

C) It can result in massive fish kills.

D) It can result in algae blooms.

E) All of the answer choices are characteristics of eutrophication.