Ecology Review!
1. Which of the following statements relating to “pyramids of energy” is true?
A. they are never inverted.
B. they show how energy is cycled in a given ecosystem.
C. they always have the same shape as the pyramid of numbers for the relationship being
studied.
D. they can be inverted (turned upside-down) for a highly productive ecosystem such as a
tropical rain forest.
2. The various microorganisms, plants and animals living in a pond form a (an)
A. ecological niche
B. community
C. population
D. ecosystem
3. A group of organisms of the same species occupying a given area at a given time may be
considered as
A. a biome
B. a population
C. an ecosystem
D. a community
4. Trees sap-sucking insects carnivorous insects birds bird parasites
is a food chain which might occur in a woodland. Which of the following pyramids of
numbers might best describe the food chain?
A. bird parasites
B. bird parasites
birds birds
carnivorous insects carnivorous insects
sap sucking insects sap sucking insects
trees trees
bird parasites bird parasites
C. D.
birds birds
carnivorous insects carnivorous insects
sap sucking insects sap sucking insects
trees trees
-1-
5. Wolves and lions are said to occupy the same trophic level because they
A. are both terrestrial
B. are both large mammals
C. both eat primary consumers
D. use their food with about a 10% efficiency
6. Which of the following is a result of biological magnification?
A. many nutrients are being removed from agricultural lands and washed into aquatic
ecosystems
B. DDT has spread throughout every ecosystem and is found in almost every organism
C. the greenhouse effect (global warming) will be most significant at the poles
D. top-level predators may be most harmed by toxic environment chemicals
7. Energy passes along a food chain in the form of
A. chemical energy
B. kinetic energy
C. light energy
D. heat energy
8. In a pyramid of numbers, whatever stage is analyzed, a reduction in the number of organisms
can almost always be observed when there is an increase in
A. the size of the organism
B. temperature
C. energy loss
D. birth rate
9. When ecologists attempt to define where a particular organism lives they are describing its
A. habitat
B. ecosystem
C. community
D. trophic level
10. Nutrient cycles may involve
A. movement of the nutrient from the organism into the atmosphere
B. movement of nutrients into the soil
C. limitations on the number of organisms in the ecosystem due to shortage of some
nutrients
D. loss of the nutrients from the ecosystem
E. all of the above
-2-
The following food web shows some of the feeding relationships in a lake in Western Africa.
Perch
Tilapia Fishes Alestid Fishes Freshwater Sardine
Insects Zooplankton
Phytoplankton
11. Which one of the following statements is correct?
A. Tilapia fishes and zooplankton are both secondary consumers.
B. There would most probably be more perch in the lake than sardines.
C. Alestid fishes and fresh water sardines are both primary consumers.
D. Perch can be third level or fourth level consumers depending upon the food chain
involved.
Use the data table below to answer the following two questions.
Food Pyramid Data
Trophic Level Energy (kJ)
2nd Order Consumer 1 000
1st Order consumer 100 000
Producer 1 000 000
12. The differences observed in the energy available in each trophic level of the Food Pyramid
Data table are best explained as
A. energy losses due to inefficiencies of transfer as described by the First Law of
Thermodynamics
B. energy losses due to inefficiencies of transfer as described by the Second Law of
Thermodynamics
C. energy gains due to inefficiencies of transfer as described by the First Law of
Thermodynamics
D. energy gains due to inefficiencies of transfer as described by the Second Law of
Thermodynamics
13. The energy lost between trophic levels is lost due to which of the following processes
A. cellular respiration and photosynthesis
B. photosynthesis and decomposition
C. metabolism and decomposition
D. metabolism and photosynthesis
-3-
Use the diagram below to answer the following sixr questions
14. True or False: The trophic level in the food web containing wolves would have the greatest
biomass. ______
15. True or False: Based upon the relationships illustrated in the food web, a wolf is a tertiary
consumer. _______
16. True or False: Based upon the relationships illustrated in the food web, the mouse is a prey
species for the wolf. _______
17. True or False: Based upon the relationships illustrated, lemmings are a primary consumer.
________
18. What group of organisms, important to the sustainability of the system, is missing here?
A. tertiary consumers C. decomposers
B. herbivores D. omnivores
19. The relationships depicted are best described as
A. a food chain
B. an energy pyramid
C. a pyramid of numbers
D. a food web
-4-
20. The process by which matter cycles between the abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem
is collectively known as
A. biological cycle
B. food web
C. biogeochemical cycle
D. matter does not cycle
21. Of the five matter cycles, which one does not include a gaseous state?
A. carbon cycle
B. nitrogen cycle
C. oxygen cycle
D. phosphorus cycle
22. Which of the following is an example of biotic carbon storage?
A. peat
B. limestone
C. carbon monoxide
D. carbon dioxide
23. If a toxic spill killed most of the algae in the oceans, which gas would be expected to build up in
the atmosphere?
A. carbon dioxide
B. oxygen
C. nitrogen
D. water vapour
24. Which of the processes in the nitrogen cycle does not involve bacteria?
A. nitrification
B. assimilation
C. denitrification
D. ammonification
25. There are five steps in the nitrogen cycle. In what order do they occur in converting nitrogen gas
to organic forms and back to the atmosphere again?
A. nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, assimilation, ammonification
B. nitrogen fixation, nitrification, ammonification, assimilation, denitrification
C. nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, denitrification, ammonification
D. nitrification, nitrogen fixation, denitrification, assimilation, ammonification
-5-
Use the following table to answer the next two questions
Hubbard Brook Project
The flow of nitrates (mg/L) from a logged and an unlogged watershed from 1964 to 1970
Year Outflow of Nitrates from Outflow of Nitrates From
Watershed A (mg/L) Watershed B (mg/L)
1964 5.0 4.0
1965 4.5 4.0
1966 50 4.0
1967 58 3.0
1968 22 3.5
1969 6.0 4.0
1970 4.5 4.0
Logging occurred in 1966 in the logged watershed. Both watersheds are tributaries of the same larger
watershed and so experience similar climate and weather.
26. The results of the Hubbard Brooks experiment demonstrates that within a forested ecosystem
most nitrogen nutrients
A. come from outside the forested area.
B. were lost due to the run-off.
C. were cycled within the area of the forest.
D. were used in photosynthesis.
27. Which of the following elements is found in the highest concentration in the atmosphere?
A. carbon
B. nitrogen
C. hydrogen
D. oxygen
28. Before nitrogen can be used by living organisms, it must be converted to water-soluble
A. ammonia
B. nitrates
C. nitrites
D. nitrogen
29. The bacteria that break down nitrates and return the nitrogen gas to the atmosphere are called
A. nitrogen-fixing
B. ammonification
C. nitrifying
D. denitrifying
30. Which of the following statements is not a function of phosphorus in living organisms?
A. It is a part of the cell membrane structures.
B. It is used in the synthesis of DNA.
C. It is used in the digestion of nitrates.
D. It is a part of the structure of bones.
-6-
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS USING FULL SENTENCES.
Use this information and the table below to answer the following question.
An ecological system was studied over a period of years and the energy
content (expressed as kilojoules) of several species was determined. You may
consider the “energy content” as equivalent to the total biomass produced in that
year.
KILOJOULE (ENERGY) EQUIVALENTS OF BIOMASS
SPECIES 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
1 19 23 18 41 17
2 438 450 420 720 397
3 103 120 130 564 143
4 111 110 141 301 117
5 1 0.5 0.1 10.1 7.6
6 28 34 37 56 37
7 600 705 713 1065 782
8 113 75 141 138 76
1. A. State which organism is most likely a producer? Support your data.
/2
B. State which organism is most likely a predator and explain why.
/2
C. Give an explanation for the events of 1999 to 2000.
/2
-7-
2. a. Explain how producers and consumers are different.
/2 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
b. What is the difference between a primary and a secondary consumer?
/2 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
c. Differentiate among the following types of consumers:
/4 herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Explain the difference between a food chain and a food web.
/2 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. Identify the problem and cause of the following environmental concerns:
/8 a. ozone depletion
b. acid rain
c. greenhouse effect
d. organic sewage
-8-
