BIOWEB
nverdae@nvcc.edu
Emma Erdahl, Associate Professor of Biology
Northern Virginia Community College
Revised 8/23/00
PRACTICE QUIZ ON ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONInstructions: You may prefer to print out the quiz and mark it. After you have finished marking the quiz, you can grade each question by clicking on a quiz answer. When you click on a quiz answer, you will be given feedback indicating whether your answer is correct. When you get a feedback response, click on the back arrow to return to the quiz. After scoring your quiz, you should have an idea if you need to study the material more. Remember to post questions about things you don't understand in the Class Forum. 1. Many animals have the ability to maintain a relatively constant level of chemicals in their body fluids. This property is referred to as a. communication b. homeostasis c. evolution d. metabolism
2. What is the process by which both autotrophs and heterotrophs release stored chemical energy for use in their life processes? a. cellular respiration b. hydrolysis c. heterotrophy d. photosynthesis
3. Green plants and algae belong to which trophic level? a. decomposer b. producer c. primary consumer d. herbivore
4. Which of the following would NOT be included in the abiotic category? a. inches of rainfall per year
b. intensity of sunlight on the forest floor
5. Which of the following is an ecosystem? a. decomposers b. sunlight c. a fish d. the planet earth
6. Which of the following Kingdoms is made up of organisms with prokaryotic cells? a. Monera b. Protista c. Fungi d. Plant
7. An organism which can produce its own food from simple raw materials and an energy source.is a(n) a. autotroph b. producer c. both (a) and (b) d. neither (a) nor (b)
8. What is the ultimate source of energy for ecosystems? a. green plants b. animals c. decomposers d. the sun
9. Which of the following types of organisms may obtain energy directly from all trophic levels? a. decomposers b. carnivores c. herbivores d. producers
10. As energy is passed from one trophic level to the next, the amount of usable energy a. increases b. decreases c. remains constant d. is highly variable
11. In a tropical rainforest, a butterfly sucks nectar from blossoms. In turn, the butterfly may be consumed by a bat which in turn may be preyed upon by a tree boa. What trophic level does the butterfly occupy? a. producer b. primary consumer c. secondary consumer d. decomposer
12. Given that CO2 is produced by cellular respiration, why does the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere remain relatively constant? a. CO2 is converted in photosynthesis to carbohydrates. b. CO2 is split apart during photosynthesis. c. A significant amount of CO2 forms carbonate rocks. d. Most CO2 is trapped in dead organisms’ bodies.
13. Which of the following statements can be made about distribution of biomass in an ecosystem? a. The biomass of secondary consumers is generally greater than the biomass of primary consumers. b. The biomass of producers is generally greater than the biomass of primary consumers. d. The biomass of producers is generally less than the combined biomass of consumers and decomposers.
14. Natural selection a. usually leads to adaptation. b. is the process whereby organisms who are "best fit" survive and leave more offspring. c. favors those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. d. is a mechanism by which evolution occurs. e. All of these statements are correct.
15. Which statement most clearly contradicts Lamarck’s hypothesis that acquired characteristics are inherited? a. The cactus plant spread very rapidly when introduced into Australia. b. Most zebras can fun faster than lions, and their offspring also run faster than lions. c. Bacteria which are resistant to penicillin have been discovered.
16. Which of the following observations or assumptions was NOT part of Darwin’s theory of natural selection? a. Traits are inherited as discrete units called genes. b. Evolution occurs over long periods of time. c. Populations produce more offspring than their environment can support. d. Organisms compete for limited resources.
17. Which of the following are the main ideas that Darwin advanced in his works? b. living species have arisen from earlier life forms c. the earth is approximately 6,000 years old and is unchanging d. both a and b are correct answers
18. Which of the following is the best measure of the "fitness" of an organism? a. reproductive success b. strength c. life span d. geographic range
19. At each trophic level, organisms obtain energy from the subsequent level. Explain the three possible fates of the energy, i.e., what happens to the energy at each trophic level?
20. What evidence do we have that evolution has occurred?
|
|