01
True or false
1 point
A survey records the living populations in an area and their interactions but excludes soil and climate. It describes a community rather than a full ecosystem. True or false?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
3 Community Ecology Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 3 Community Ecology, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
A bird gains a nesting site in a tree, and the tree is not noticeably affected. Which interaction best describes this relationship?
- A
Mutualism
- B
Commensalism
- C
Competition
- D
Parasitism
03
Fill in the blank
1 point
Using words rather than symbols, complete the statement: Competition affects both competing species .
04
Choose one
1 point
Two bird species feed on insects in different parts of the same tree. How may this difference help them coexist?
- A
It increases competition because both species depend on the same limited food source.
- B
It reduces competition by allowing the species to use different feeding areas.
- C
It means one species preys on the other.
05
Written response
1 point
A species is uncommon in a community, but removing it causes substantial changes in the community. What is the ecological term for this kind of species?
06
Choose all
1 point
Select all the interactions in which one participant benefits and the other is harmed.
- A
A hawk captures and eats a mouse.
- B
A caterpillar eats leaves.
- C
A tick feeds on a mammal and harms its host.
- D
A pollinator obtains nectar while transferring pollen between flowers.
- E
Two plant species compete for light.
07
Choose one
1 point
Which example best illustrates a foundation species?
- A
A rare species has a large effect when removed, but does not create habitat.
- B
A species feeds on another species and limits its abundance.
- C
A tree creates forest habitat and provides shelter for many other species.
08
Written response
1 point
A fire changes an existing community, but soil, seeds, and roots remain. What type of ecological succession describes the resulting recovery?
09
True or false
1 point
Ecological succession always follows one predictable path toward a single, permanently stable climax community. True or false?
- A
True
- B
False
10
Fill in the blank
1 point
If a predator becomes rare, its prey may increase and consume more of the .
11
Choose all
1 point
A team wants to describe community structure rather than the broader ecosystem. Which features should it examine? Select all that apply.
- A
Which species are present.
- B
The relative abundance of each species.
- C
The relationships among species.
- D
The soil type and climate, considered without reference to the living community.
12
Choose one
1 point
Two communities each contain four species. In Community A, the species have similar abundances; in Community B, one species dominates. Which community generally has greater species diversity?
- A
Community A, where four species have similar abundances.
- B
Community B, where four species are present but one species dominates.
13
Open ended
1 point
After a volcanic eruption exposes new rock with no developed soil, explain how ecological succession can allow additional species to establish over time.
14
Choose one
1 point
An epiphytic plant grows on a tree and gains support, while the tree is not noticeably affected. Which interaction best describes this relationship?
- A
Commensalism
- B
Mutualism
- C
Competition
- D
Parasitism
15
True or false
1 point
Ecological succession always follows one predictable path toward a permanently stable climax community.
- A
True
- B
False
16
Written response
1 point
Two bird species feed on insects in different parts of the same tree, reducing competition. What ecological process does this illustrate?
17
Choose one
1 point
A species is uncommon in a community, but removing it causes substantial changes in which other species are present. Which description best fits it?
- A
A foundation species, because it is necessarily the most abundant species
- B
A keystone species, because its effect is disproportionately large relative to its abundance
- C
A pioneer species, because it colonizes surfaces without developed soil
- D
A niche, because it describes a species' resource use
18
Written response
1 point
After a fire, soil remains and surviving seeds and roots contribute to recovery of the plant community. What type of succession describes this recovery?
19
Choose one
1 point
A predator becomes rare in a food web. Which outcome best describes a possible indirect effect of this change?
- A
The prey must decrease because it has fewer predators
- B
Organisms below the predator will increase because fewer predators are present
- C
The prey may increase and consume more organisms below it in the food web
- D
The community will remain unchanged because only direct interactions matter
20
Choose one
1 point
On newly exposed rock without developed soil, which process can help make it possible for additional species to establish?
- A
Seeds and roots left in the soil immediately restore the former community
- B
Pioneer organisms and physical weathering contribute to soil formation, allowing additional species to establish
- C
A stable climax community forms before any pioneer organisms arrive
- D
The absence of soil prevents any organisms from colonizing the surface