Ecology
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. Grass is eaten by a prairie dog. The prairie dog is eaten by a coyote. This is an example of
a. an abiotic element. b. an omnivore. c. a herbivore. d. a food chain.
____ 2. A bird eats a worm. Who is the predator?
a. the worm b. the bird c. both the bird and the worm d. neither the bird nor the worm
____ 3. What do several different populations living together make?
a. a biosphere b. an organism c. a community d. an ecosystem
____ 4. Which is an example of an abiotic element changing an area?
a. introducing a new type of grass b. water flooding the area c. two species of birds competing d. algae
growing on crabgrass
____ 5. Grass that gains energy from the sun is an example of a
a. consumer. b. parasite. c. decomposer. d. producer.
____ 6. In a food web arrows point in just one direction because they show
a. which animal is bigger. b. which animals are related. c. how energy goes to the animal that is eating.
d. how energy goes to the animal that is eaten.
____ 7. Two members of the same species fight over who gets a certain food. Members of different species try to
take over a certain nesting area. These are both examples of
a. community. b. competition. c. mutualism. d. commensalism.
____ 8. If scientists are studying the egrets, herons, marsh crabs, and cordgrass, but not the water or rocks in a
salt marsh, what level of organization would they be studying?
a. individual organism b. population c. community d. ecosystem
____ 9. Coyotes prey on prairie dogs. In order for the prairie dog population to survive, how many prairie dogs
are needed compared to coyotes?
a. fewer prairie dogs than coyotes b. many more prairie dogs than coyotes c. about the same number of
prairie dogs as coyotes d. there is no relationship between the number of prairie dogs and coyotes
____ 10.
When there is a lot of pollution, rain can be acidic, harming plants and animals. What is this an example
of?
a. competition between a population and a community b. a mutualistic type of symbiosis c. an abiotic factor
affecting an ecosystem d. an individual affecting a community
____ 11.
What effect does biodiversity have on a community?
a. It makes destruction by insects impossible. b. It makes primary succession more likely. c. It enables
species to survive in a desert. d. It enables the community to withstand changes.
____ 12.
The speed of water is an important abiotic factor in a freshwater ecosystem because
a. a tributary has different plants than a river. b. faster water has a higher salt content. c. animals must adapt
so they are not washed away. d. animals cannot live in fast-moving water.
____ 13. What word describes the mammals, fish, birds, and plants that live in an environment?
a. abiotic b. the population c. the biosphere d. biotic
____ 14. A community is several species of animals interacting, while a population is
a. members of one species in an area. b. the biotic and abiotic elements of an area. c. the nonliving elements
, of a habitat. d. a single organism.
____ 15. The five levels of organization in the environment, from first to fifth level are
a. organism, population, biosphere, ecosystem, community. b. organism, population, biotic elements, abiotic
elements, community. c. organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere. d. organism, population,
biosphere, abiotic elements, ecology.
____ 16. Which of the following is abiotic?
a. a gar b. an alligator c. grass d. water
____ 17. Organisms that can make their own food from sunlight are called
a. decomposers. b. consumers. c. producers. d. carnivores.
____ 18. Grass is eaten by a prairie dog. The prairie dog is eaten by a coyote. This is an example of
a. an abiotic element. b. an omnivore. c. a herbivore. d. a food chain.
____ 19. One food web arrow goes from a prairie dog to a coyote, showing that
a. the coyote is bigger. b. the coyote eats the prairie dog. c. the prairie dog eats the coyote. d. the prairie
dog is a producer.
____ 20. Without wolves, Yellowstone Park had
a. too many elk. b. too much grass. c. too many rabbits. d. too many cows.
____ 21. The largest population an environment can support is its
a. carrying capacity. b. limiting factor. c. population. d. symbiosis.
____ 22.
One type of competition involves individuals competing for resources. The other involves competition
between different
a. organisms. b. populations. c. environments. d. relationships.
____ 23. Young wasps are eating the tomato hornworm that is their host. What is this an example of?
a. commensalism b. mutualism c. parasitism d. competition
____ 24. A bird eats a worm. Who is the predator?
a. the worm b. the bird c. both the bird and the worm d. neither the bird nor the worm
____ 25. Rocks, temperature, and water are what part of the environment?
a. biotic b. abiotic c. population d. living
____ 26. What do several different populations living together make?
a. a biosphere b. an organism c. a community d. an ecosystem
____ 27. Which is an example of an abiotic element changing an area?
a. introducing a new type of grass b. water flooding the area c. two species of birds competing d. algae
growing on crabgrass
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. Grass is eaten by a prairie dog. The prairie dog is eaten by a coyote. This is an example of
a. an abiotic element. b. an omnivore. c. a herbivore. d. a food chain.
____ 2. A bird eats a worm. Who is the predator?
a. the worm b. the bird c. both the bird and the worm d. neither the bird nor the worm
____ 3. What do several different populations living together make?
a. a biosphere b. an organism c. a community d. an ecosystem
____ 4. Which is an example of an abiotic element changing an area?
a. introducing a new type of grass b. water flooding the area c. two species of birds competing d. algae
growing on crabgrass
____ 5. Grass that gains energy from the sun is an example of a
a. consumer. b. parasite. c. decomposer. d. producer.
____ 6. In a food web arrows point in just one direction because they show
a. which animal is bigger. b. which animals are related. c. how energy goes to the animal that is eating.
d. how energy goes to the animal that is eaten.
____ 7. Two members of the same species fight over who gets a certain food. Members of different species try to
take over a certain nesting area. These are both examples of
a. community. b. competition. c. mutualism. d. commensalism.
____ 8. If scientists are studying the egrets, herons, marsh crabs, and cordgrass, but not the water or rocks in a
salt marsh, what level of organization would they be studying?
a. individual organism b. population c. community d. ecosystem
____ 9. Coyotes prey on prairie dogs. In order for the prairie dog population to survive, how many prairie dogs
are needed compared to coyotes?
a. fewer prairie dogs than coyotes b. many more prairie dogs than coyotes c. about the same number of
prairie dogs as coyotes d. there is no relationship between the number of prairie dogs and coyotes
____ 10.
When there is a lot of pollution, rain can be acidic, harming plants and animals. What is this an example
of?
a. competition between a population and a community b. a mutualistic type of symbiosis c. an abiotic factor
affecting an ecosystem d. an individual affecting a community
____ 11.
What effect does biodiversity have on a community?
a. It makes destruction by insects impossible. b. It makes primary succession more likely. c. It enables
species to survive in a desert. d. It enables the community to withstand changes.
____ 12.
The speed of water is an important abiotic factor in a freshwater ecosystem because
a. a tributary has different plants than a river. b. faster water has a higher salt content. c. animals must adapt
so they are not washed away. d. animals cannot live in fast-moving water.
____ 13. What word describes the mammals, fish, birds, and plants that live in an environment?
a. abiotic b. the population c. the biosphere d. biotic
____ 14. A community is several species of animals interacting, while a population is
a. members of one species in an area. b. the biotic and abiotic elements of an area. c. the nonliving elements
, of a habitat. d. a single organism.
____ 15. The five levels of organization in the environment, from first to fifth level are
a. organism, population, biosphere, ecosystem, community. b. organism, population, biotic elements, abiotic
elements, community. c. organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere. d. organism, population,
biosphere, abiotic elements, ecology.
____ 16. Which of the following is abiotic?
a. a gar b. an alligator c. grass d. water
____ 17. Organisms that can make their own food from sunlight are called
a. decomposers. b. consumers. c. producers. d. carnivores.
____ 18. Grass is eaten by a prairie dog. The prairie dog is eaten by a coyote. This is an example of
a. an abiotic element. b. an omnivore. c. a herbivore. d. a food chain.
____ 19. One food web arrow goes from a prairie dog to a coyote, showing that
a. the coyote is bigger. b. the coyote eats the prairie dog. c. the prairie dog eats the coyote. d. the prairie
dog is a producer.
____ 20. Without wolves, Yellowstone Park had
a. too many elk. b. too much grass. c. too many rabbits. d. too many cows.
____ 21. The largest population an environment can support is its
a. carrying capacity. b. limiting factor. c. population. d. symbiosis.
____ 22.
One type of competition involves individuals competing for resources. The other involves competition
between different
a. organisms. b. populations. c. environments. d. relationships.
____ 23. Young wasps are eating the tomato hornworm that is their host. What is this an example of?
a. commensalism b. mutualism c. parasitism d. competition
____ 24. A bird eats a worm. Who is the predator?
a. the worm b. the bird c. both the bird and the worm d. neither the bird nor the worm
____ 25. Rocks, temperature, and water are what part of the environment?
a. biotic b. abiotic c. population d. living
____ 26. What do several different populations living together make?
a. a biosphere b. an organism c. a community d. an ecosystem
____ 27. Which is an example of an abiotic element changing an area?
a. introducing a new type of grass b. water flooding the area c. two species of birds competing d. algae
growing on crabgrass
