1. Any change in plant communities over time is called a(n) __________________.
2. A common pioneer organism in a primary succession is the _______________.
3. The final stable state of a succession is called the _______________ community.
4. The first organism in a succession is called the _________________.
5. The feeding role of an organism is called a(n) _______________.
6. As one goes up the energy pyramid, the total amount of energy on
each
feeding (trophic) level ________________.
7. The primary consumer feeding level depends upon ________________ for their food.
8. ________________ is the loss of water from plants.
9. The process of _______________ releases the waste gas oxygen.
10. The process of _______________ releases the waste gas carbon dioxide.
11. A(n) _________________ succession occurs where plants have NOT previously existed.
12. The place an organism lives is called its ___________________.
13. This is a symbiotic relationship between organisms where both are
helped (+,+)
This relationship is called ________________.
14. This is a symbiotic relationship between organisms where one
organism is helped,
while the other is harmed. (+,-)
This relationship is called ________________.
15. This is a symbiotic relationship between organisms where one
organism is helped,
while the other it is associated
with is basically unaffected. (+, 0) This relationship
is called __________________.
1. Which process produces carbon dioxide in the greatest quantity?
(1.) denitrification
(2.) respiration (3.) photosynthesis
(4.) nitrification
| 2.. A food pyramid is represented by the diagram. Which statement best describes one of the levels of this pyramid? (1.) The organisms in level B obtain food directly from level A. (2.) Level D contains the greatest number of heterotrophs in the pyramid. (3.) level C contains the largest group of consumers in the pyramid. (4.) Level A contains the largest producers in the pyramid. | |
3. Several years after a building had been torn down and the ground
cleared, grasses began to
grow in that area. After 10 years, small bushes
replaced the grasses. This pattern of plant
growth is known as (1.) cover cropping
(2.) land use management (3.) ecological succession
(4.) biological control
4. Which processes are involved in the water cycle? (1.)
respiration and photosynthesis, only
(2.) transpiration and excretion, only
(3.) respiration, photosynthesis, evaporation,
and condensation, only (4.) respiration,
photosynthesis, transpiration, excretion,
evaporation, and condensation
| 5. Which statement is best supported by the diagram of the carbon-oxygen cycle? (1.) Combustion adds oxygen to the atmosphere and removes carbon dioxide. (2.) Consumers generate oxygen and utilize carbon dioxide. (3.) Producers generate oxygen and utilize carbon dioxide. (4.) Decomposers add oxygen to the atmosphere and remove carbon dioxide. |  |
Use the feeding pyramid below and your knowledge of the living environment to answer questions 6 through 8 which follow.
| 6. Which level of this pyramid would contain producer organisms?
(1.) A (2.) B (3.) C
(4.) D 7. If birds eat insects that feed on corn, which pyramid level would birds occupy? (1.) A (2.) B (3.) C (4.) D 8. As one progresses from level D to level A in this pyramid, the amount of stored energy (1.) increases (2.) decreases (3.) remains the same |
 |
| 9. Which group in the food web represented would most likely
have the greatest biomass? (1.) corn and oats (2.) hawks and
owls
(3.) mice and rats (4.) snakes and raccoons |
 |
10. Which organisms would most likely be the pioneer organisms
on a newly formed
volcanic island? (1.)
conifers (2.) lichens (3.) deciduous trees (4.) tall
grasses
11. A symbiotic relationship exists between two organisms
of different species. If only
one organism benefits
from the relationship and the other is not harmed, the
relationship is known
as (1.) mutualism (2.) commensalism (3.) parasitism
(4.) saprophytism
Base your answers to questions 12 through 15 on the following chart
and your knowledge of
the living environment.
| 12. Which stage represents a pioneer community? (1.) A
(2.) B (3.) C (4.) D (5.) E
13. The replacement of stage B by stage C and the replacement of stage C by stage D in a particular location is known as (1.) exploitation (2.) cover cropping (3.) ecological succession (4.) punctuated equilibrium 14. In New York State, which fauna would most likely be associated with stage E? (1.) caribou (2.) prairie dogs (3.) leopards (4.) gray squirrels 15. Which stage would best represent a climax community in Northern NY? (1.) A (2.) B (3.) C (4.) D (5.) E |
 |
| 16. The diagram represents a tree containing three different
species of warbler, A, B, and C. Each species occupies a different niche.
A fourth species, D, which has the same environmental requirements as species B, enters the tree at point X. Members of species B will most likely (1.) live in harmony with species D (2.) move to a different level and live with species A or species C (3.) stay at that level but change their diet (4.) compete with species D |
 |
| 17. This diagram shows an example of interdependence among aquatic
organisms. During the day, the organisms either use or give off substance
A or B, as shown by the arrows.
Which substances are represented by A and B? (1.) A represents oxygen and B represents carbon dioxide. (2.) A represents oxygen and B represents carbohydrates. (3.) A represents nitrogen and B represents carbon dioxide. (4.) A represents carbon dioxide and B represents oxygen. |
 |
Base your answers to questions 18 and 19 which follow on your knowledge of the living environment and the feeding pyramid below.
| 18. Primary consumers would be found at level (1.) 1
(2.) 2 (3.) 3 (4.) 4
19. At which level would organisms capable of autotrophic nutrition be found? (1.) 1 (2.) 2 (3.) 3 (4.) 4 |
 |
20. The American dogwood, a flowering tree of New York State's
woodlands, has been
attacked by a fungal disease specific
to this tree species. Many dogwoods have died
because fungicides have not proven
effective in fighting the spread of this disease. Which
term best describes the relationship
between the dogwood trees and the fungus?
(1.) parasitism (2.) mutualism
(3.) commensalism (4.) saprophytism
21. The first organism in most natural food chains is (1.)
a producer (2.) a herbivore
(3.) a carnivore (4.) a
decomposer
| 22. The diagram represents a map showing different zones in an
area once covered by a glacier. This diagram best represents (1.)
nutritional relationships (2.) a pyramid of energy
(3.) a food chain (4.) ecological succession |
 |
| 23. The pyramid illustrates some feeding relationships in alpine meadows of Yellowstone National Park. Which statement is best supported by the information shown in the pyramid? (1.) Chipmunks and insects can occupy the same niche. (2.) As the number of bears in this community increases, the number of chipmunks will increase. (3.) Insects are classified as omnivores in alpine meadow communities. (4.) Biomass decreases as energy is transferred from one level to another. |  |
Use the diagram below and your knowledge of the living environment to answer questions 24 through 26 which follow.
24. What would most likely be the predominant life-form found
in stage 1? (1.) ferns
(2.) pioneer species (3.)
trees (4.) mushrooms
25. Stage IV will persist until it is altered by (1.) a
major change in an abiotic factor
(2.) seasonal dieback of vegetation
(3.) the reappearance of lichens and mosses
(4.) the growth in diameter of
the trees
26. What is a major limiting biotic factor for animal succession
in each stage?
(1.) plant species (2.)
sunlight (3.) soil minerals (4.) moisture
| 27. Nutritional relationships between organisms are shown in the diagram. Which organisms are primary consumers? (1.) mouse, deer, and cricket (2.) deer, hawk, and mouse (3.) snake, hawk, and frog (4.) cricket, frog, and deer |  |
28. Which element is not recycled throughout an ecosystem by the
processes of photosynthesis
and respiration? (1.) carbon
(2.) nitrogen (3.) hydrogen (4.) oxygen
29. In a pond, which change would most likely lead to terrestrial
succession?
(1.) a decrease in the number
of suspended particles in the pond water
(2.) an increase in current velocity
of the pond water
(3.) an increase in sediment,
fallen leaves, and tree limbs accumulating on the bottom
of the pond
(4.) a decrease in the number
of diverse organisms in the shallow water of the pond
30. Which statement concerning the climax stage of an ecological
succession is correct?
(1.) It is the first community
to inhabit an area. (2.) It consists entirely of plants.
(3.) It persists until the environment
changes. (4.) It changes rapidly.
| 31. Which statement best describes some organisms in the food web shown? (1.) Aquatic crustaceans are omnivores. (2.) Raccoons, fish, and ducks are secondary consumers. (3.) Algae and floating plants are decomposers. (4.) Minnows and fish are primary consumers. |  |
List of terms : (1.) parasitism (2.) commensalism
(3.) mutualism (4.) saprophytism
(5.) competition
32. The roots of a mistletoe plant absorb nutrients from living
oak trees, causing some
damage to the tissues of the trees.
33. Protozoans living in the intestine of a termite secrete enzymes
that digest cellulose,
providing digestive end products
of value to both organisms.
34. Certain fungi use dead organic matter for food.
36. Which foods are derived from organisms that occupy the level
that contains the greatest
amount of energy in a biomass
pyramid? (1.) bread and tomatoes (2.) shrimp and rice
(3.) chicken and lettuce
(4.) hamburger and french fries
37. For 25 years, hay was cut from the same 10 acres on a farm.
During these years,
shrews, grasshoppers, spiders,
rabbits, and mice were seen in this hayfield. After the
farmer retired, he no longer cut
the hay and the field was left unattended. What will most
likely occur in the former hayfield
over the next few decades? (1.) The plant species will
change, but the animal species will
remain the same. (2.) The animal species will change, but
the plant species will remain the same.
(3.) Neither the plant species nor the animal species
will change. (4.) Both the plant
species and the animal species will change.
38. Although three different bird species all inhabit the same
type of tree in an area,
competition between the birds
rarely occurs. The most likely explanation for this lack
of competition is that these birds
(1.) share food with each other (2.) have different
ecological niches (3.) have a
limited supply of food (4.) are unable to interbreed
| 39. The diagram shows a food web. Which organisms would most
likely be competitors?
(1.) A and C (2.) B and C (3.) B and D (4.) D and E |
 |
| 40. The diagram represents a food chain. The arrows in the diagram indicate the (1.) return of chemical substances to the environment (2.) order of importance of the various organisms (3.) direction of energy flow through a series of organisms (4.) direction in which organisms move in the environment |  |
| 41. Which type of organism is not represented in the diagram ? (1.) carnivore (2.) herbivore (3.) producer (4.) decomposer |  |
Use the diagram below and your knowledge of the living environment to
answer questions 42 and 43 which follow.
| 42. Which organisms would contain the greatest amount of available
energy? (1.) rabbits and deer (2.) grasses and shrubs
(3.) hawks
(4.) lice 43. The primary consumers include (1.) insects and seed-eating birds (2.) rabbits and snakes (3.) rats and frogs (4.) spiders and coyotes |
 |
| 44. This sequence of diagrams best illustrates (1.) ecological
succession (2.) organic evolution (3.) the effects of acid
rain (4.) a food chain
45. If no human intervention or natural disaster occurs, by the
year 2050 this area will most likely be a (1.) pond (2.) field
(3.) forest
46. The natural increase in the amount of vegetation from 1840 to 1930 is related to the (1.) use of the pond for fishing (2.) increasing amount of sunlight (3.) decreasing water depth (4.) increase in the number of bottom dwelling organisms |
 |
48. Which organisms in the diagram are components of the same
food chain?
(1.) trees, mountain lion, snake, and hawk (2.) grasses, cricket,
frog, and mouse
(3.) grasses, mouse, snake, and hawk (4.) trees, rabbit, deer,
and shrubs
49. Which concept does the diagram represent?
(1.) the relative elevation of different organisms living at high altitudes
(2.) the direct relationship between abiotic and biotic factors in
an ecosystem
(3.) the reduction in energy at each successive feeding level of a
food chain
(4.) the imbalance in ecosystems caused by low numbers of carnivores
50. The diagram represents a pyramid of biomass in an aquatic
environment. Which statement best explains why mass decreases from one level
to the next in this pyramid?
(1.) Organisms decay at each level, and thus less mass can be supported
at succeedingly
higher levels.
(2.) Energy is lost to the environment at each level, so less mass
can be supported at
succeedingly higher levels.
(3.) When organisms die at higher levels, their remains sink to lower
levles, increasing
the mass at lower levels.
(4.) More organisms die at higher levels than at lower levels, resulting
in less mass at higher
levels.
51. Starting on bare rock, what is the usual ecological succession
of organisms?
(1.) lichens --> grasses --> shrubs
--> trees
(2.) grasses --> shrubs --> lichens
--> trees
(3.) lichens --> shrubs --> grasses
--> trees
(4.) shrubs --> grasses --> lichens
--> trees
52. The stable stage that is established in an area as a result
of the process of
ecological succession is known
as the (1.) pioneer organism (2.) climax community
(3.) biotic stage (4.) heterotroph
community
Discuss a typical Northern NY secondary succession.
Hopefully some correct answers! Send comments about incorrect answers to jbuckley@ekcsk12.org
Completion Section
1. succession
2. lichen
3. climax
4. pioneer
5. niche
6. decreases
7. producer
8. transpiration
9. photosynthesis
10. respiration
11. primary
12. habitat
13. mutualism
14. parasitism
15. commensalism
Multiple Choice Section
1. 2
2. 3
3. 3
4. 4
5. 3
6. 4
7. 2
8. 2
9. 1
10. 2
11. 2
12. 2
13. 3
14. 4
15. 5
16. 4
17. 1
18. 2
19. 1
20. 1
21. 1
22. 4
23. 4
24. 2
25. 1
26. 1
27. 1
28. 2
29. 3
30. 3
31. 2
32. 1
33. 3
34. 4
35. 4
36. 1
37. 4
38. 2
39. 4
40. 3
41. 4
42. 2
43. 1
44. 1
45. 3
46. 3
47. 4
48. 3
49. 3
50. 2
51. 1
52. 2
Free Response Section
1. A typical NNY secondary succession might start
with grass, which in a few years
is replaced by shrubs and briers.
After a few more years, sun-loving trees such as
the poplar would occupy the
area. After many years, the climax forest would consist
of a mixed beech-maple forest
on sandy ground.
(For Southern NY surfers to
this page with your warmer environment,
oak and hickory are more likely
climax dominants, but the overall idea is the same.)