25. An ECOSYSTEM is the
total community of living
organisms in a particular area
plus the nonliving factors of
the environment.
26. A BIOME includes any ecosystems
found in a regional area. (For
example, one geographic area may
contain a freshwater pond, as well
as wetland swamps, and a
deciduous forest, that all interact
in the given region making up a
biome.)
27. BIOTIC factors of an ecosystem
are all of its living components.
ABIOTIC factors are the
nonliving components of the
ecosystem.
28. A TROPHIC LEVEL is the particular place
an organism maintains in a food chain.
A FOOD CHAIN is a simple representation
of the trophic levels in order from producers
through all levels of consumers, then
decomposers.
A FOOD WEB is an illustration of the
complex interrelationships between all
trophic levels where a particular organism
may function in more than one trophic level.
29. PRODUCERS are the organisms in an
ecosystem that harness energy (usually from
the sun) and make it available as food to . . .
PRIMARY CONSUMERS who get energy by
feeding on producers. They then become a
food source for . . .
SECONDARY CONSUMERS, etc.
DECOMPOSERS break down dead plant and
animal material making the raw materials
available for producers to reuse.
30. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES function to recycle
nutrients throughout the ecosystem.
Some examples. . .
Plants use Carbon Dioxide for photosynthesis and
produce Oxygen. The oxygen is used in animal
respiration and Carbon Dioxide is produced.
Water cycles throughout ecosystems via evaporation,
rain, runoff, etc.
Nitrogen and Carbon are released from dead organisms
by decomposers so that they may be reused by
producers and cycle throughout the food web.
31. A NICHE is the function a particular
organism performs in a given
ecosystem.
33. Which of the following would NOT be
considered to be a biotic factor of a taiga
ecosystem?
A: bacterial decomposers
B: deer and elk
C: coniferous trees
D: short summers
34. In an aquatic marine ecosystem a killer whale
feeds on krill (primary consumers), birds (third-level
consumers), and penguins (fourth-level
consumers). What would be the best way to
illustrate these relationships?
A: food web
B: food chain
C: photographs
D: phylogenetic tree
35. Which of the following would not
commonly be found in a desert ecosystem?
A: snake
B: bacteria
C: deciduous tree
D: cactus
36. A food chain shows
A: the order of trophic levels of a particular
ecosystem from producer to decomposer
B: the complex web of interrelationships
between many trophic levels
C: the development of plants from seed to
adult
D: the organisms that are not found in a
given ecosystem
37. A trophic level is
A: an organism's place in the food web.
B: an organism's dwelling place in an
ecosystem.
C: an organism's niche in an ecosystem.
D: an aquatic organism's place in the water
column
38. In which ecosystem would you be most
likely to find a coniferous tree?
A: temperate rain forest
B: tundra
C: aquatic marine
D: desert
39. Which of the following most accurately describes the
carbon dioxide/oxygen cycle in terrestrial biomes?
A: plants produce oxygen and carbon dioxide that
are used by animals in respiration
B: plants use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen,
while animals use oxygen and produce carbon
dioxide
C: animals produce carbon dioxide and oxygen
which are used by plants in photosynthesis
D: plants produce carbon dioxide and use oxygen,
while animals produce oxygen and use carbon
dioxide
40. One abiotic factor of a tropical rain forest
is
A: large vines
B: parrots
C: abundant rain
D: monkeys
41. One important function of bacteria in an
ecosystem is to
A: build habitats for larger animals
B: kill lethal viruses
C: recycle nitrogen from dead organisms
back into the food web
D: keep populations of large animals in
check
42. Which of the following would be a
producer in a temperate deciduous forest
ecosystem?
A: snails
B: large deciduous trees
C: insects (such as bees)
D: nutrient-rich soil
