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05 Ecological Relationships Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 05 Ecological Relationships, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
True or false
1 point

When two organisms compete for the same limited resource, the interaction is generally harmful to both.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

02
Choose one
1 point

In a food web, what does an arrow from one organism to another indicate?

  1. A

    From the consumer to the organism it eats

  2. B

    From the food organism to the organism that consumes it

  3. C

    From the organism with the largest population to the smallest

  4. D

    From decomposers to producers only

03
True or false
1 point

In herbivory, the plant or alga being eaten is not always killed.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

04
Choose one
1 point

A bird nests in a tree and gains shelter, while the tree is not significantly affected. Which relationship best describes this interaction?

  1. A

    Mutualism, because both species benefit

  2. B

    Parasitism, because the tree is harmed

  3. C

    Commensalism, because the bird benefits and the tree may be unaffected

  4. D

    Competition, because both species use the same limited resource

05
Fill in the blank
1 point

In the chain plant → grasshopper → frog, the plant is a .

06
Written response
1 point

What is the ecological term for species reducing competition by using different foods, areas, or feeding times?

07
Fill in the blank
1 point

Decomposers break down dead organisms and waste, returning to the environment.

08
Choose one
1 point

Two individuals of the same species compete for nesting sites. What kind of competition is this?

  1. A

    Interspecific competition

  2. B

    Resource partitioning

  3. C

    Commensalism

  4. D

    Intraspecific competition

09
Written response
1 point

What term describes a close, sustained interaction between organisms of different species?

10
Choose all
1 point

Select all the interactions in which one organism benefits while the organism it feeds on or lives in is harmed.

  1. A

    A predator captures and eats prey

  2. B

    A fungus and photosynthetic partner both benefit in a lichen

  3. C

    An herbivore feeds on a plant

  4. D

    A bird gains shelter while a tree is unaffected

  5. E

    A tapeworm obtains nutrients from its host

11
True or false
1 point

If prey becomes abundant, predator numbers may increase, and prey may later decline. These populations always follow a simple, predictable cycle.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

12
Choose all
1 point

Select all statements that correctly describe energy and matter in food webs.

  1. A

    Energy flows through food webs, and some is lost as heat at each transfer

  2. B

    All energy is recycled indefinitely between organisms

  3. C

    Nutrients are lost as heat at every transfer and cannot be recycled

  4. D

    Matter such as nutrients is recycled

13
Choose one
1 point

A predator population declines in a food web. Which outcome is a plausible indirect effect?

  1. A

    All prey populations must disappear immediately

  2. B

    Some prey populations may increase and affect the organisms they consume

  3. C

    The ecosystem must collapse

  4. D

    The food web will no longer transfer energy

14
Open ended
1 point

Explain how a food web differs from a food chain and how that difference helps ecologists consider the possible effects of a change in one population.

15
Choose one
1 point

A beetle feeds on a plant’s leaves, damaging them but not killing the plant. Which ecological interaction best describes this?

  1. A

    A predator captures and eats another animal.

  2. B

    An animal feeds on a plant, damaging it without necessarily killing it.

  3. C

    Two species use different parts of the same tree to find food.

  4. D

    A parasite obtains nutrients from its host.

16
Choose one
1 point

A bird gains shelter by nesting in a tree, while the tree is not significantly affected. Which relationship best describes this interaction?

  1. A

    Mutualism

  2. B

    Parasitism

  3. C

    Commensalism

  4. D

    Competition

17
Written response
1 point

Two deer of the same species compete for a limited supply of food. What is the ecological term for competition between members of the same species?

18
Choose one
1 point

Two bird species feed on insects in different parts of the same tree. How does this pattern most directly help them coexist?

  1. A

    The species use different feeding areas, reducing overlap in their use of resources.

  2. B

    The species use exactly the same limited resources, increasing overlap.

  3. C

    One species obtains nutrients from the other while harming it.

  4. D

    Both species benefit from the interaction.

19
Written response
1 point

Many fungi and bacteria break down dead organisms and waste, returning nutrients to the environment. What are these organisms called?

20
Choose one
1 point

In a food chain of algae → insect larva → fish, which organism is the primary consumer?

  1. A

    The fish, because it is at the start of the chain.

  2. B

    The insect larva, because it eats the producer.

  3. C

    The algae, because it is eaten by the other organisms.

  4. D

    Both the fish and the insect larva, because they are consumers.