Interactions Environments and Organisms Ch.5 Full Test Bank

Environmental Science, 15e (Enger)

Chapter 5 Interactions: Environments and Organisms

1) Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor?

A) the number of individuals of a particular species living in a community

B) the interactions between different species in a community

C) the diversity of prey and predator species in a community

D) the climate of the community in which the species mentioned above inhabit

2) Natural selection is the process that determines

A) who an individual mates with.

B) which scientist publishes their experiments.

C) which individuals within a species will reproduce and pass their genes to the next generation.

D) how active an animal is at night.

3) The development of herbicide resistance in populations of weeds over several generations is an example of

A) social Darwinism.

B) biogeochemical cycles.

C) organic farming.

D) evolution.

4) Charles Darwin is generally credited with

A) developing the concept of sexual dimorphism.

B) developing the concept of natural selection.

C) developing the concept of genetic concept.

D) All of these are correct.

5) Among plants, a condition that results in an increase in the number of sets of chromosomes, is called

A) multi-genetics.

B) polyploidy.

C) diploid.

D) haploid.

6) Extinction of organisms is

A) very unusual.

B) was more common in the past.

C) not occurring today.

D) a common event today.

7) Ecologists distinguish two different kinds of competition. An example of one is

A) intraspecific competition occurs between organisms of the same species.

B) interspecific competition occurs between animals and plants.

C) intraspecific competition results in one species eliminating another species.

D) None of the statements is correct.

8) This concept states that no two species can occupy the same ecological niche in the same place and the same time.

A) Natural Selection

B) Genetic Drift

C) Competitive Exclusion Principle

D) Niche Exclusion

9) Two organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring are said to be individuals of the same

A) community.

B) niche.

C) habitat.

D) species.

10) When a population becomes isolated from another population of the same species over a long period of time

A) gene exchange is likely to occur.

B) competition is increased.

C) speciation is likely to occur.

D) extinction is likely to occur.

11) Ecologists have traditionally categorized the roles of organisms in ecosystems into three broad categories that include

A) parasites.

B) symbionts.

C) decomposers.

D) carnivores.

12) The use of fertilizers in agriculture has significantly altered several nutrient cycles including

A) nitrogen.

B) carbon.

C) hydrologic.

D) All of these are correct.

13) The chief limiting factor to the success of most trout species is

A) the ability to reproduce.

B) the dissolved oxygen content in water.

C) the amount of plant biomass.

D) All of these are correct.

14) What is the term used to describe food chains which overlap and intersect?

A) food web

B) detrital food chain

C) natural selection

D) range of tolerance

15) The small amount of dissolved oxygen found in warm water is considered a ________ to the success of many fish species.

A) biotic factor

B) limiting factor

C) niche

D) None of these are correct

16) Grazing animals and the grasses they eat have both evolved in response to each other's influence. This process is known as

A) coevolution.

B) extinction.

C) competitive exclusion principle.

D) interspecific competition.

17) Which of the following organisms is a primary producer?

A) fungi

B) grasshoppers

C) grass

D) decomposer

18) Which of the following organisms is a secondary consumer?

A) wolf

B) elk

C) mouse

D) bacteria

19) Which of the following is NOT a decomposer?

A) fungi

B) bacteria

C) moss

D) None of these are correct.

20) In a mutualistic relationship

A) one organism benefits while the other is unaffected.

B) both species benefit.

C) one species benefits while the other is harmed.

D) endoparasites outnumber ectoparasites.

21) Each step in the flow of energy through an ecosystem is known as a

A) food chain.

B) trophic level.

C) plateau of consumption.

D) food web.

22) The relationship between frogs and insects is an example of

A) intraspecific competition.

B) coevolution.

C) a predator-prey relationship.

D) competitive exclusion.

23) Biting insects that transmit parasites are known as

A) vectors.

B) endoparasites.

C) keystone species.

D) None of these are correct.

24) Tapeworms living inside the intestines of their host are an example of what type of relationship?

A) predator/prey relationship

B) commensalism

C) ectoparasitism

D) endoparasitism

25) Which of the following elements is the most common limiting factor to plants in naturally occurring soil?

A) nitrogen

B) phosphorous

C) oxygen

D) carbon

26) What kind of plant has nitrogen-fixing bacteria living in their roots?

A) deciduous trees

B) mosses

C) legumes

D) ferns

27) Phosphorous is released from rocks by which process?

A) bacterial decomposition

B) weathering and erosion

C) photosynthesis

D) All of these are correct.

28) Carbon enters the carbon cycle in the form of

A) lipids formed in photosynthesis.

B) carbonate in rock.

C) atmospheric carbon dioxide.

D) decomposition of organic material.

29) Which of the following is an example of a keystone species?

A) bison

B) sea kelp

C) wolves

D) None of these are correct.

30) Which of the following is an example of a detrital food chain?

A) a coniferous forest

B) sewage treatment plant

C) open lake

D) salt marsh

31) Polyploidy is an evolutionary mechanism that may result in

A) new plant species.

B) a surge in birthrates in mammals.

C) the baldness trait becoming dominant in men.

D) death if recessive.

32) Another name for a nutrient cycle in an ecosystem is a

A) biogeochemical cycle.

B) menstrual cycle.

C) hydrogen cycle.

D) diurnal cycle.

33) This meat eater often gets meat from animals that have died by accident or illness, or were killed by other animals.

A) scavenger

B) omnivore

C) carnivore

D) parasite

34) The introduction of which organism is correlated with a major disruption to the food web of the Great Lakes?

A) diatoms

B) whitefish

C) zebra mussels

D) Diporeia.

35) Indian pipe, a flowering plant, lacks chlorophyll and is not able to do photosynthesis. It obtains food as:

A) a parasite

B) a commensal organism

C) a host

D) a mutualistic organism

E) More than one of these choices is correct.

36) Which of the following habitats has rapid decomposition?

A) tundra

B) tropical forests

C) northern forests

D) grasslands

E) swamps

37) ________ are a major carbon sink.

A) Oceans

B) Lakes

C) Rivers

D) Ponds

38) Phosphorus

A) is found in rocks.

B) is found in teeth.

C) is found dissolved in water.

D) All of the statements are correct.

E) None of the statements are correct.

39) Agricultural runoff consists of a mixture of compounds that serve as nutrients. The two primary nutrients are ________ and ________.

A) nitrogen; oxygen

B) nitrogen; carbon

C) nitrogen; phosphorus

D) nitrogen; sulfur

Which of the following best matches the description?

40) Series of stages in the flow of nitrogen in ecosystems.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

41) Stage in the flow of energy in an ecosystem.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

42) Animal that eats plants.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

43) An organism that can manufacture food from inorganic compounds and light energy.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

44) The place an organism lives.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

45) The flow of carbon from the atmosphere to living organisms and back again.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

46) Bacteria that convert nitrogen compounds in the soil into nitrogen gas.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

47) Competition between members of different species.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

48) An organism that eats both plants and animals.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

49) Competition between members of the same species.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

50) Interacting groups of different species in a given area.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

51) Accumulation of organic material that consists of or are produced by living things.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

52) Bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into forms of nitrogen that plants can use.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

53) Parasite that lives on the outside of its host.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

54) An environmental condition, the absence of which, prevents the success of an organism.

A) denitrifying bacteria

B) herbivore

C) omnivore

D) producer

E) trophic level

F) community

G) ectoparasite

H) limiting factor

J) secondary consumer

K) nitrogen cycle

L) biomass

M) habitat

N) carbon cycle

O) interspecific competition

P) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Q) intraspecific competition

55) Genetic variation among individuals of the same species enables some of these individuals to have a greater chance of obtaining resources and therefore, producing more offspring.

56) Genes are distinct pieces of DNA that determine the characteristics an individual displays.

57) Everything that affects an organism during its lifetime is known as ecology.

58) The carbon cycle is an example of how materials are cycled through ecosystems.

59) The biotic component of an organism's environment is the non-living or physical factors.

60) Competition between foxes and hawks for the use of mice and rabbits as food is called intraspecific competition.

61) About 20 percent of the energy passing from one trophic level to the next is lost.

62) Symbiotic relationships are those in which organisms live in physical contact with one another.

63) Commensal organisms live on another organism and harm the host in the process.

64) The niche of an organism is the result of many years of natural selection.

65) At the highest trophic level, there is less energy and fewer organisms than at the lower levels.

66) Competition between members of the same species is known as intraspecific competition.

67) The production of a new species from a previous species is known as mutualism.

68) Populations are all organisms of a specific kind that live within a specific geographic region.

69) If a species becomes isolated from another for a long time as a result of a barrier, speciation will not occur.

70) Producers are organisms that are able to use sources of energy to make complex, organic molecules from simple inorganic substances in their environment.

71) Consumers are organisms that require no organic matter as a source of food.

72) A food chain is a series of organism occupying different trophic levels through which energy passes.

73) Detritus are small bits of non-living organic material.

74) About 50% of photosynthesis activity takes place in fresh water.

75) During the carbon cycle, the same carbon atoms are used over and over again.

76) The source of nitrogen in the nitrogen cycle is found in rocks.

77) The source of phosphate in the phosphorous cycle is the atmosphere.

78) Conversion of natural ecosystems to agriculture ecosystems can lead to less carbon stored in soil and large plants such as trees.

79) Charles Darwin developed the idea of natural selection without understanding the gene concept.

80) A species that has a narrow range of tolerance to heat, such as a polar bear, should be able to adapt easily to changes in its habitat that occur with global warming.

81) Producers use the energy of sunlight to convert inorganic carbon compounds into organic compounds through the process of photosynthesis.

82) Processes that remove atoms from short-term nutrient cycles and store them for a long time are known as sinks.

83) How are fossil fuels (coal, petroleum and natural gas) thought to have formed? Please be specific about each type of fossil fuel.

84) Why are nutrients carried into aquatic ecosystems?

85) Some flowering plants, such as beech drops and Indian pipe, lack chlorophyll and are not able to do ________.

86) Most exotic species are introduced into a new environment accidentally as a result of ________.

87) The primary sink for nitrogen is ________ in the atmosphere.

88) How are humans involved in modifying the carbon cycle? What are the consequences of these actions?

89) A new threat to the food chain in the Great Lakes is:

A) The small mouth bass

B) The northern pike

C) The Asian carp

D) The yellow-perch

90) Which of the following species has been impacted by climate change?

A) Pacific salmon

B) Bowhead whales

C) Polar bears

D) None of the species have been impacted

E) All of the species have been impacted

91) Excessive growth in aquatic plants and algae is stimulated by:

A) Abundant supplies of nutrients such as phosphorus

B) Cold water

C) Lack of sunlight

D) Lack of nutrients such as phosphorus

92) A major reason why animals are moving into urban areas is:

A) Lack of water

B) The building of larger homes

C) Habitat loss

D) Increased agricultural planting

93) Clear-cutting of forests:

A) Removes the carbon tied up in the vegetation

B) Increases the rate of erosion

C) Causes the depletion of soil nutrients

D) All of the options are correct

E) None of the options are correct

94) The exotic species in the Great Lakes were:

A) All purposely introduced

B) Introduced by accident

C) Introduced specifically by hatcheries

D) Purposely introduced and accidently introduced