Ecology Practice Test_v4

Which example represents territorial defense?

• A male mountain lion scratches and urinates on several trees while he hunts for prey.

• A flock of geese honks and flies in a V-formation.

• A pack of wolves howls and circles a nearby deer.

• A group of dolphins jumps and plays in the ocean.

Which is an example of a biotic factor that could affect a population of trout in a stream ecosystem

• predators

  in the ecosystem

• Temperature of the water

• Amount of sunlight

• Availability of food sources

A coral reef provides shelter and nutrients for unicellular algae, while the algae provides photosynthates used by the coral for growth. What term best describes this relationship?

• mutualism

• Gradualism

• Parasitism

• Competition

A tapeworm is found in a young's man's intestines. The tapeworm feeds from the food ingested by the man and deprives him of nutrients. What relationship does this represent?

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Predation

• parasitism

Carbon is an element that is found in all living organisms, so the cycling of carbon through these organisms is essential to sustaining all life. Which process is one way that a living organism is involved in the movement of carbon around the earth?

• denitrification

• decomposition

• Respiration

• Absorption

Several gases in the atmosphere help to trap and hold in some of the heat from the Sun helping to maintain the Earth's temperature. This is the natural phenomenon called the greenhouse effect.

Which gas varies in concentration based on plant and ocean coverage?

• carbon dioxide

• Nitrogen

• Oxygen

• Methane

In an aquatic food web, which organism would get its energy directly from the Sun?

• Fungi

• Fish

• algae

• Bacteria

Which would have the greatest impact on energy flow within an ecosystem?

• Increasing the number of predators

• decreasing

  available sunlight

• Increasing the number of prey

• Introducing a new species

Which action has had the most positive impact on the environment?

• reforestation

  to prevent the erosion of the soil

• Increasing the use of renewable energy sources

• Reducing the amount of waste produced

• Implementing water conservation measures

In a local lake, algae and plant growth increased due to fertilizer used on surrounding farms. Oxygen levels decreased and organic detritus filled in the lake over a ten-year period. Had the farmers noticed the changes after five years, what could they have done to save the lake?

• sprayed the lake with herbicides to inhibit the growth of the algae and plants

• Applied a chemical treatment to reduce the growth of algae and plants

• used an organic fertilizer such as animal manure

• planted areas of dense vegetation around the lake to prevent runoff from entering