Ecology National Geographic

The sum total of the variety of organisms on Earth is referred to as

• Ecosystem

• Forest

• Biodiversity

• Agriculture

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A species that enters an environment where it has not lived before is called a(an)

• Endangered species

• Threatened species

• Predator

• Invasive species

A species whose population size is declining so rapidly that it could soon become extinct is

• Endangered

• Nonnative

• Fragmented

• Invasive

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The graph shows changes in the size of a bacterial population over time in the presence of a limiting factor. Which labeled segment of the graph is most similar to how a bacterial population would change without any limiting factors?

• Segment 1

• Segment 2

• Segment 3

• Segment 4

What is the approximate carrying capacity of the rabbit population shown in the graph?

• 3 rabbits

• 55 rabbits

• 65 rabbits

• Not reached yet

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Louisiana’s state tree is the bald cypress. In the southern coastal areas of Louisiana, there are “ghost swamps” full of dead bald cypress trees. In most cases, these are wetlands that have been repeatedly flooded by water from the Gulf of Mexico because the land is subsiding. The seedlings of other trees, such as the Chinese tallow tree, appear to be out-­competing bald cypress seedlings in these swamps. Which factor limits the natural reforestation of the bald cypress in the ghost swamps?

• The lack of water

• The shade of older trees

• The presence of salt water

• The availability of oxygen

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Which statement best explains why ecosystems must have a constant input of energy from the Sun during the growing seasons?

• The amount of solar energy will decrease in the winter.

• Most of the energy flows up to the highest trophic levels

• Energy is constantly lost as heat due to decomposition and respiration

• Photosynthesis allows plants to store solar energy as chemical energy.

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Why is a wolf in an arctic food web considered to be dependent on sunlight for food energy?

• Cells in all living organisms contain some photosynthetic organelles.

• In cold environments, animals use warmth from sunlight to increase their internal chemical energy.

• The chemical energy stored in animals the wolf eats ultimately comes from solar energy captured by producers.

• Wolves adapt to food scarcity by changing roles from consumers to producers.

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Zooplankton are microscopic organisms in this ecosystem. Given the information in this food web, which change would most likely cause an increase in the zooplankton population in the lake?

• Removing the bass

• Adding more bass

• Adding more sunfish

• Adding more shad

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After being gone for many years, wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995. Given the information in the food web, which species likely benefited the most from the return of the wolves?

• Deer

• Grasses

• Elks

• Gophers

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