24 Questions
What is the term for the number of species in an ecosystem?
Species richness
What is the primary factor that influences the properties of a community?
Environment
What is the result of a transition from one community to another along a short distance?
Greatly different plant communities
What is the relationship between primary productivity and population size?
Higher primary productivity leads to an increase in population size
What is the characteristic of the abundance of different tree species along a moisture gradient?
The patterns of abundance are independent of one another
What is a characteristic of ecosystems?
Species seldom live alone
What is the primary factor that determines the realised niche of a species?
The presence of competition from other species
What is the ultimate outcome of interspecific competition for a limited resource?
The extinction of one of the competing species
What is the primary difference between interference competition and exploitative competition?
The method of obtaining the resource
What is the consequence of uncontrolled predation in a predator-prey relationship?
The extinction of the predator
What is the primary role of shelter in a predator-prey relationship?
Enabling the coexistence of the predator and prey
What is the term for the entire range of ecological niches that a species is capable of using?
Fundamental niche
What is a consequence of the elimination of large carnivores in the Eastern US?
A population explosion of deer
Which type of symbiosis involves one species benefiting and the other being harmed?
Parasitism
What is the primary concern in the study of ecosystems?
The flow of energy and materials
What is the primary source of energy in the Earth's ecosystem?
Sunlight
What is the purpose of plants in the balance of the water cycle?
To regulate the flow of water into streams
What is the term for the process by which species adapt to their environment through interspecific interactions?
Natural selection
What is the primary function of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the nitrogen cycle?
To convert nitrogen gas into a usable form for organisms
What is the primary difference between the nitrogen cycle and the phosphate cycle?
The presence of a gaseous form
Why can energy not be recycled in an ecosystem?
Because of the increase in entropy
What is the term for the rate at which organisms in a trophic level collectively synthesize new organic matter?
Productivity
What is the relationship between the number of trophic levels and energy availability?
The number of trophic levels increases with increasing energy availability
What is the importance of biodiversity in an ecosystem?
It provides multiple alternative sources of food for top consumers
This quiz covers the basics of ecosystems and ecology, including the interactions between species and their environment, properties of communities, and the flow of matter and energy. It also explores species richness and primary productivity. Test your understanding of these essential biology concepts!
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