Ecology Quiz

What does Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) measure?

• The number of species in a habitat

• The rate of energy loss in an ecosystem

• The total biomass of an ecosystem

• The rate at which plants make new material by photosynthesis

What is the formula for calculating Net Primary Productivity (NPP)?

• NPP = GPP * R

• NPP = GPP + R

• NPP = R - GPP

• NPP = GPP - R

Which of the following is an example of a biotic factor?

• Soil composition

• Temperature

• Predation

• Humidity

What type of distribution occurs when resources are scarce but evenly spread?

• Uniform distribution

• Clumped distribution

• Random distribution

• Biotic distribution

What is biomass?

• The rate of photosynthesis in plants

• The energy stored in plant material

• The number of species in a community

• The total mass of living matter in a given area

What is primary succession?

• The change of one community of organisms into another starting from bare land

• The introduction of new species into an ecosystem

• The recovery of an ecosystem after a disturbance

• The competition between species for resources

Which of the following describes a climax community?

• A community that is dominated by pioneer species

• A community that is unstable and changes frequently

• A self-sustaining ecosystem with maximum biodiversity

• A community that has just begun to develop

What is the role of a niche in an ecosystem?

• It measures the population size of a species

• It describes the specific role an organism plays in its habitat

• It indicates the energy flow in a food chain

• It defines the physical space an organism occupies

What happens to energy as it moves up trophic levels?

• It remains constant

• It is lost as heat and used for respiration

• It is completely transferred to the next level

• It increases significantly

What is secondary succession?

• The process of species extinction in an ecosystem

• Succession that occurs in an area with no soil

• Succession that occurs after a disturbance but with soil present

• The initial colonization of barren land