Ecological Concepts Quiz

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What is the main energy source for life on earth?

Wind

Sunlight (correct)

Geothermal energy

Water

Which organisms perform chemosynthesis to produce carbohydrates?

Fungi

Plants

Animals

Bacteria (correct)

What do scavengers primarily feed on in an ecosystem?

Plants

Decaying organic matter (correct)

Live animals

Sunlight

Which type of consumers primarily depend on plants for their food?

Herbivores Signup and view all the answers

What type of consumers primarily eat the flesh and meat of other living animals?

Carnivores Signup and view all the answers

Which organisms are known as the 'cleaners of the environment'?

Decomposers Signup and view all the answers

What term describes a relationship in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism?

Predation Signup and view all the answers

Which type of relationship in symbiosis benefits both species involved?

Mutualism Signup and view all the answers

What is the functional role that an organism plays within an ecosystem called?

Niche Signup and view all the answers

Which principle states that two different species cannot occupy the same niche in the same place for very long?

Competitive exclusion principle Signup and view all the answers

In a parasitic relationship, which organism benefits while the other is harmed?

The parasite benefits Signup and view all the answers

What type of relationship is represented by one member benefiting while the other is neither helped nor harmed?

Commensalism Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification?

Bioaccumulation occurs in a single organism over its life, while biomagnification happens within a food web. Signup and view all the answers

How does predation affect community composition and species diversity?

Predation greatly reduces prey population density and decreases species diversity. Signup and view all the answers

According to the law of thermodynamics, what does the Second Law of Thermodynamics state?

Energy tends to go from a more organized and concentrated form to a less organized and more dispersed form. Signup and view all the answers

How does the law of conservation of mass (matter) apply to ecology?

Matter is neither created nor destroyed in ecological processes. Signup and view all the answers

How do keystone species impact ecosystem adaptation to environmental changes?

If a keystone species disappears, ecosystems might not be able to adapt to environmental changes. Signup and view all the answers

What role does competition play in ecosystems?

Competition arises when resources are in limited supply and organisms strive to obtain these resources. Signup and view all the answers