Question 1

Which of the following organisms is a producer?

Accepted Answer

A)  fungus 
B)  human 
C)  cow 
D)  grass 
A)  fungus 
B)  human 
C)  cow 
D)  grass D

Question 2

Organisms that eat producers are known as

Accepted Answer

A)  cannibals. 
B)  secondary producers. 
C)  primary consumers. 
D)  predators 
A)  cannibals. 
B)  secondary producers. 
C)  primary consumers. 
D)  predators C

Question 3

All of the following disturbances except _____ would be considered natural.

Accepted Answer

A)  fire 
B)  flood 
C)  windstorm 
D)  mining 
A)  fire 
B)  flood 
C)  windstorm 
D)  mining D

Question 4

Communities never recover from disturbances caused by humans.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

The process that establishes new communities and restores disturbed communities is termed

Accepted Answer

A)  secondary growth. 
B)  eutrophication. 
C)  diversification. 
D)  succession. 
A)  secondary growth. 
B)  eutrophication. 
C)  diversification. 
D)  succession.

Question 6

By definition, primary consumers feed on secondary consumers.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

In a typical prairie food web energy moves from grass to grasshopper to field mouse to fox. Which organism is the tertiary consumer?

Accepted Answer

A)  the grass 
B)  the grasshopper 
C)  the mouse 
D)  the fox 
A)  the grass 
B)  the grasshopper 
C)  the mouse 
D)  the fox

Question 8

The sea star Pisaster ochraceus was removed from selected intertidal communities along the Washington coast. After 10 years how did those communities compare to control communities?

Accepted Answer

A)  The communities were statistically indistinguishable from one another. 
B)  Without sea stars, mussels became abundant and crowded out other community members. 
C)  Other predatory sea stars replaced Pisaster. 
D)  The mussel populations declined, but most species were unaffected. 
A)  The communities were statistically indistinguishable from one another. 
B)  Without sea stars, mussels became abundant and crowded out other community members. 
C)  Other predatory sea stars replaced Pisaster. 
D)  The mussel populations declined, but most species were unaffected.

Question 9

The removal of a keystone species from a community usually results in

Accepted Answer

A)  the death of all other community members. 
B)  the disappearance of that community. 
C)  substantial changes in the abundance of many species. 
D)  minor changes, if any. 
A)  the death of all other community members. 
B)  the disappearance of that community. 
C)  substantial changes in the abundance of many species. 
D)  minor changes, if any.

Question 10

A farmer and his family raise 100 acres of corn, 12 chickens, and two cows. What is the keystone species?

Accepted Answer

A)  corn 
B)  chickens 
C)  cows 
D)  people 
A)  corn 
B)  chickens 
C)  cows 
D)  people

Question 11

A community may begin when new _______ is formed, such as when rock and soil are deposited by a retreating glacier.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A community may begin when new _______...

Question 12

As the figure below illustrates, communities vary tremendously in size from as large as an entire forest to the digestive system of a single deer.  
How can biologists recognize where one community ends and a second begins?

Accepted Answer

A)  Communities have no fixed boundaries; their sizes are simply defined according to what is convenient at a given point in time. 
B)  Each community is nested within a larger one, for example, the deer is part of the woodland, which is part of the forest. 
C)  Each community can be defined by the movement of food; all the organisms that get their energy from the same group of producers form the community. 
D)  Communities are human constructs rather than natural entities; as such their boundaries are arbitrarily established. 
A)  Communities have no fixed boundaries; their sizes are simply defined according to what is convenient at a given point in time. 
B)  Each community is nested within a larger one, for example, the deer is part of the woodland, which is part of the forest. 
C)  Each community can be defined by the movement of food; all the organisms that get their energy from the same group of producers form the community. 
D)  Communities are human constructs rather than natural entities; as such their boundaries are arbitrarily established.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about human-caused disturbances to communities is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Human-caused disturbances are not important because they do not cause any long-term permanent changes. 
B)  When a community recovers from a human-caused disturbance, it returns to its predisturbance condition. 
C)  Some communities can recover from human-caused disturbances over a period of time. 
D)  All communities are able to recover from human-caused disturbances. 
A)  Human-caused disturbances are not important because they do not cause any long-term permanent changes. 
B)  When a community recovers from a human-caused disturbance, it returns to its predisturbance condition. 
C)  Some communities can recover from human-caused disturbances over a period of time. 
D)  All communities are able to recover from human-caused disturbances.

Question 14

Which of the following best characterizes humans' method of obtaining energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  primary consumers only 
B)  secondary consumers only 
C)  primary, secondary, and occasionally tertiary consumers 
D)  secondary producers 
A)  primary consumers only 
B)  secondary consumers only 
C)  primary, secondary, and occasionally tertiary consumers 
D)  secondary producers

Question 15

Black oak trees are one of the earliest colonists after bare sand dunes are created.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Which of the following organisms is not a producer?

Accepted Answer

A)  plankton 
B)  cow 
C)  algae 
D)  oak tree 
A)  plankton 
B)  cow 
C)  algae 
D)  oak tree

Question 17

The inhabitants of an aquarium can be considered a community.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Can a human being be considered an ecological community?

Accepted Answer

A)  Yes; for example, a community of microorganisms lives within the human digestive system. 
B)  Yes; human beings live with other humans, own pets, and grow domesticated crops. 
C)  No; a community is formed from many populations and it takes more than one individual to make up a population. 
D)  No; human populations are artificial rather than natural, and are considered to fall outside of ecology. 
A)  Yes; for example, a community of microorganisms lives within the human digestive system. 
B)  Yes; human beings live with other humans, own pets, and grow domesticated crops. 
C)  No; a community is formed from many populations and it takes more than one individual to make up a population. 
D)  No; human populations are artificial rather than natural, and are considered to fall outside of ecology.

Question 19

All of the following except the _____ could be part of the same food chain.

Accepted Answer

A)  clover 
B)  squirrel 
C)  rabbit 
D)  fox 
A)  clover 
B)  squirrel 
C)  rabbit 
D)  fox

Question 20

Why is the existence of food webs important even though food chains also exist?

Accepted Answer

A)  Food webs address the activities of consumers, whereas food chains address the activities of producers. 
B)  Food chains describe all aspects of interactions within a community, whereas food webs tell us what organisms eat and which are eaten by other organisms. 
C)  Food webs are smaller groupings than food chains. Food chains allow us to look at the overall picture, whereas food webs provide specific directional information. 
D)  Food webs tie together many more organisms than a food chain does. If one organism in a food chain disappears, a food web may allow the organisms in the chain to survive based on their interactions with other organisms. 
A)  Food webs address the activities of consumers, whereas food chains address the activities of producers. 
B)  Food chains describe all aspects of interactions within a community, whereas food webs tell us what organisms eat and which are eaten by other organisms. 
C)  Food webs are smaller groupings than food chains. Food chains allow us to look at the overall picture, whereas food webs provide specific directional information. 
D)  Food webs tie together many more organisms than a food chain does. If one organism in a food chain disappears, a food web may allow the organisms in the chain to survive based on their interactions with other organisms.

Exam 36: Communities of Organisms

Which of the following organisms is a producer?

Organisms that eat producers are known as

All of the following disturbances except _____ would be considered natural.

Communities never recover from disturbances caused by humans.

The process that establishes new communities and restores disturbed communities is termed

By definition, primary consumers feed on secondary consumers.

In a typical prairie food web energy moves from grass to grasshopper to field mouse to fox. Which organism is the tertiary consumer?

The sea star Pisaster ochraceus was removed from selected intertidal communities along the Washington coast. After 10 years how did those communities compare to control communities?

The removal of a keystone species from a community usually results in

A farmer and his family raise 100 acres of corn, 12 chickens, and two cows. What is the keystone species?

A community may begin when new _______ is formed, such as when rock and soil are deposited by a retreating glacier.

As the figure below illustrates, communities vary tremendously in size from as large as an entire forest to the digestive system of a single deer. How can biologists recognize where one community ends and a second begins?

Which of the following statements about human-caused disturbances to communities is true?

Which of the following best characterizes humans' method of obtaining energy?

Black oak trees are one of the earliest colonists after bare sand dunes are created.

Which of the following organisms is not a producer?

The inhabitants of an aquarium can be considered a community.

Can a human being be considered an ecological community?

All of the following except the _____ could be part of the same food chain.

Why is the existence of food webs important even though food chains also exist?

The Nature of Science and the Characteristics of Life

Organizing the Diversity of Life

Major Groups of Living Organisms

Chemical Building Blocks

Cell Structure and Internal Compartments

Cell Membranes, Transport, and Communication

Energy and Enzymes

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Cell Division

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes and Human Genetics

DNA

From Gene to Protein

Control of Gene Expression

DNA Technology

How Evolution Works

Evolution of Populations

Adaptation and Speciation

The Evolutionary History of Life

Maintaining the Internal Environment

Animal Nutrition and Digestion

Gas Exchange

The Circulatory System

Animal Hormones

The Nervous System

Sensing the Environment

Skeletons, Muscles, and Movement

Defenses against Disease

Reproduction and Development

Animal Behavior

Plant Structure, Nutrition, and Transport

Plant Growth and Reproduction

The Biosphere

Growth of Populations

Interactions among Organisms

Ecosystems

Global Change

Biodiversity and People

Cancer: Cell Division Out of Control

Harnessing the Human Genome

Humans and Evolution

Smoking--Beyond Lung Cancer

Feeding a Hungry Planet

Building a Sustainable Society

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