Answer Key Ecology
1. What is the greenhouse effect?
a) The process by which plants photosynthesize
b) The trapping of heat by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
c) The cooling of the Earth’s surface
d) The Earth's rotation around the sun
2. Which of the following is a renewable resource?
a) Oil
b) Natural gas
c) Solar energy
d) Coal
3. What is biodiversity?
a) The number of species in a single ecosystem
b) The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem
c) The process of extinction of different species
d) The genetic uniformity within a population
4. Which human activity is the primary cause of deforestation?
a) Urbanization
b) Agriculture
c) Mining
d) Fishing
5. What is the primary purpose of the Clean Air Act?
a) To regulate water pollution
b) To reduce air pollution and improve air quality
c) To promote recycling
d) To conserve wildlife habitats
6. Which gas is considered a major contributor to climate change?
a) Oxygen
b) Carbon dioxide
c) Nitrogen
d) Argon
7. What is the importance of wetlands?
a) They serve as a habitat for fish only
b) They are used for recreational activities
c) They filter pollutants from water and provide flood control
d) They contribute to climate change
8. Which of the following is a non-renewable resource?
a) Wind energy
b) Natural gas
c) Solar energy
d) Geothermal energy
9. What is an ecological footprint?
a) The measure of food consumption
b) The impact of a person or community on the environment
c) The area of land protected from development
d) The total amount of water used in a household
10. Which practice helps in conserving water?
a) Increasing lawn sizes
b) Using drip irrigation systems
c) Taking long showers
d) Leaving the faucet running while brushing teeth
11. What does a food chain illustrate?
a) The complexity of species interactions
b) The linear pathway of energy flow between organisms
c) The biodiversity within an ecosystem
d) The geographic distribution of species
12. In a typical food chain, which level is represented by herbivores?
a) Primary producers
b) Primary consumers
c) Secondary consumers
d) Tertiary consumers
13. Which of the following organisms would you find at the apex of a food chain?
a) Grass
b) Rabbit
c) Snake
d) Eagle
4. What is a food web?
a) A simple diagram showing a single pathway of energy transfer
b) A complex network of interconnected food chains
c) The total biomass in an ecosystem
d) A representation of energy lost at each trophic level
15. In a trophic level, which group contains the most energy?
a) Primary producers
b) Primary consumers
c) Secondary consumers
d) Tertiary consumers
16. Which of these organisms is a decomposer in a food web?
a) Grass
b) Cow
c) Mushroom
d) Hawk
17. What happens as you move up trophic levels in terms of energy availability?
a) Energy increases
b) Energy remains constant
c) Energy decreases
d) Energy fluctuates
18. Which of the following best describes a secondary consumer?
a) An organism that feeds directly on producers
b) An organism that feeds on primary consumers
c) An organism that decomposes organic matter
d) An organism that can produce its own food
19. Which term refers to the number of trophic levels in a specific food chain?
a) Trophic structure
b) Energy pyramid
c) Food web
d) Biomass
20. If a food chain starts with grass (producer), then a rabbit (primary consumer), followed by a fox
(secondary consumer), what type of organism would be needed to complete the cycle as a decomposer?
a) Another primary consumer
b) A tertiary consumer
c) A bacteria or fungi
d) A primary producer
Test II. Identification Test: Matter and Energy, Energy in the Living System, and Flow of Energy through an
Individual Animal
1. Identify the process by which plants convert sunlight into chemical energy.
Answer: ___________________________
2. What term describes the basic units of matter that make up all living organisms?
Answer: ___________________________
3. Name the cycle that describes the movement of carbon and oxygen through the atmosphere, plants,
animals, and the earth.
Answer: ___________________________
5. Identify the type of metabolic process that breaks down glucose to release energy.
Answer: ___________________________
6. What term refers to the total amount of energy available in an ecosystem?
Answer: ___________________________
7. Identify the organelle where cellular respiration occurs in eukaryotic cells.
Answer: ___________________________
8. What is the term for the energy that animals obtain from food?
Answer: ___________________________
11.Identify the term that refers to anything that has mass and occupies space.
Answer: ___________________________
12. What is the name of the smallest unit of an element that retains its properties?
Answer: ___________________________
13. Identify the two states of matter that have a definite volume but no definite shape.
Answer: ___________________________
14. What type of energy is stored in the bonds of chemical compounds?
Answer: ___________________________
15. Identify the form of energy associated with the motion of objects.
Answer: ___________________________
16. What type of energy is generated by an object due to its position or height?
Answer: ___________________________
17. Identify the process in which energy is not created or destroyed but only transformed from one form
to another.
Answer: ___________________________
19. Identify the law that states that the total energy in a closed system remains constant.
Answer: ___________________________
*Answer Key:*
1. Photosynthesis
2. Cells
3. Carbon Cycle
5. Cellular respiration
6. Biomass
7. Mitochondria
8. Chemical energy
9. Metabolism
*Answer Key:*
1. Matter
2. Atom
3. Liquid and Gas
4. Chemical energy
5. Kinetic energy
6. Gravitational potential energy
9. Law of Conservation of Energy
**Instructions:** Match the correct species interaction type (Column A) with the appropriate
description or example (Column B). Write the letter of the correct answer next to the number.
Column A: Species Interaction Types Column B: Descriptions/Examples
A. Mutualism A. One species benefits while the other is
harmed.
2. Commensalism B. Both species benefit from the interaction.
3. Parasitism C. One species benefits, and the other is neither
helped nor harmed.
4. Competition D. Involves species competing for the same
resources.
5. Predation E. One species (the predator) benefits by
consuming the other (the prey).
6. Mutualism F. A lion hunting a zebra.
7. Commensalism G. Bees pollinating flowers while feeding on
nectar.
8. Parasitism H. A tapeworm living in the intestines of a
mammal.
9. Competition I.Different species of plants competing for
sunlight.
10. Predation J. A bird building its nest in a tree without
affecting the tree's health.
**Answer Key:**
1. B - Mutualism: Both species benefit from the interaction.
2. C - Commensalism: One species benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed.
3. A - Parasitism: One species benefits while the other is harmed.
4. D - Competition: Involves species competing for the same resources.
5. E - Predation: One species (the predator) benefits by consuming the other (the prey).
**Answer Key:**
1. B - Mutualism: Bees pollinating flowers while feeding on nectar.
2. C - Commensalism: A bird building its nest in a tree without affecting the tree's health.
3. D - Parasitism: A tapeworm living in the intestines of a mammal.
4. E - Competition: Different species of plants competing for sunlight.
5. A - Predation: A lion hunting a zebra.
6. F - Amensalism: A fungus inhibiting the growth of nearby plants.
7. G - Herbivory: A caterpillar eating a leaf.
8. H - Facilitation: Introduced species aiding the establishment of natives.
9. I - Altruism: A prairie dog warning others of a predator at its own risk.
10. J - Symbiosis: Close and often long-term interactions between different species.
Essay Test: Biochemical Cycles
**Instructions:** Answer the following questions in essay format. Your answers should demonstrate an
understanding of biochemical cycles, their functions, and their importance in ecosystems.
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**Question 1:**
**Describe the carbon cycle.** Explain the processes involved, such as photosynthesis, respiration, and
decomposition. Include how human activities have impacted this cycle and its effects on climate change.
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**Question 2:**
**Discuss the nitrogen cycle.** Outline the steps of nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and
ammonification. Explain the role of bacteria in these processes and the implications of nitrogen pollution
on ecosystems and human health.
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**Question 3:**
**Analyze the phosphorus cycle.** Detail how phosphorus moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere,
and biosphere. Discuss the significance of phosphorus in biological systems and the impact of
agricultural practices on the phosphorus cycle, particularly in relation to eutrophication.
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**Question 4:**
**Evaluate the water cycle.** Describe the processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and
infiltration. Discuss the importance of the water cycle for maintaining ecosystems and its influence on
weather patterns, as well as the impact of climate change on water availability.
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**Question 5:**
**Compare and contrast two of the biochemical cycles (e.g., carbon and nitrogen cycles).** Discuss their
similarities and differences in terms of biological importance, the processes involved, and how human
activities affect each cycle.
Answer Key: 1-b, 2-c, 3-b, 4-b, 5-b, 6-b, 7-c, 8-b, 9-b, 10-b.
Answer Key: 1-b, 2-b, 3-d, 4-b, 5-a, 6-c, 7-c, 8-b, 9-a, 10-c.
