Free Practice Quiz Question List

4 Ecosystems and Energy Flow Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 4 Ecosystems and Energy Flow, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

Choose one

1 point

A field team is documenting components of a grassland ecosystem. Which observation identifies an abiotic component?

A
Soil mineral content
B
Algae growing in the soil
C
Fungal hyphae beneath the surface
D
A grasshopper feeding on a plant

Choose one

1 point

In the food chain algae → insect larvae → fish, what does the arrow from algae to insect larvae indicate?

A
Energy moves from the fish to the insect larvae.
B
Energy moves from the algae to the insect larvae.
C
The insect larvae produce energy for the algae.
D
The arrow shows that the algae and larvae compete for food.

Fill in the blank

1 point

In an energy pyramid, producers form the broad .

Fill in the blank

1 point

A food web combines many connected .

True or false

1 point

If a species eats both producers and primary consumers, it may feed at different trophic levels.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Fungi break down a dead fish in a pond. What is one likely result of this process?

A
They turn the dead fish directly into sunlight.
B
They permanently remove all nutrients from the ecosystem.
C
They break down the remains and release nutrients into the environment.
D
They transfer the fish's nutrients only to other fish.

Choose one

1 point

At a deep-sea hydrothermal vent with no sunlight, how can some bacteria act as producers?

A
They consume other organisms, as all producers do.
B
They use sunlight that penetrates to the ocean floor.
C
They use energy from chemical reactions to make organic molecules.
D
They obtain their energy only by decomposing dead animals.

True or false

1 point

Energy and nutrients both cycle through an ecosystem and are reused indefinitely.

A
True
B
False

Choose all

1 point

Select all statements that correctly classify an animal by what it eats.

A
An animal that eats only grass is a herbivore.
B
An animal that eats only other consumers is a carnivore.
C
An animal that eats both plants and other animals is an omnivore.
D
An animal that eats plants and other animals is a herbivore but not an omnivore.

Choose all

1 point

A student compares energy available at successive trophic levels. Select all statements that help explain why less energy is generally available at higher levels.

A
Organisms use much of their acquired energy for life processes.
B
Less energy is generally available at higher trophic levels.
C
Exactly the same fraction of energy always transfers between levels in every ecosystem.
D
Energy eventually dissipates as heat.

Written response

1 point

In the food chain grass → grasshopper → frog → snake, what is the frog's trophic role?

Open ended

1 point

Explain why food chains are usually limited in length. In your answer, describe what happens to energy as it moves between trophic levels and clarify whether the commonly cited transfer fraction is exact.

Choose one

1 point

In the food chain grass → grasshopper → frog → snake, which statement correctly identifies the grasshopper's trophic level?

A
The grasshopper is a secondary consumer because it eats grass.
B
The grasshopper is a primary consumer because it eats a producer.
C
The grasshopper is a producer because it is the first animal in the chain.
D
The grasshopper is a tertiary consumer because it is eaten by a frog.

True or false

1 point

Decomposers act on dead material and waste from organisms at all trophic levels, rather than occupying only one step in a food chain. Is this statement true or false?

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

A pond's temperature affects the organisms living in it. How should temperature be classified as an ecosystem component?

A
Biotic component
B
Abiotic component
C
Producer
D
Consumer

Choose one

1 point

In a food chain, what does an arrow between two organisms indicate?

A
From the organism that eats to the organism being eaten
B
From the producer to the environment
C
From the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it
D
From the decomposer to every consumer

Choose one

1 point

In the food chain grass → grasshopper → frog → snake, what trophic role does the grasshopper have?

A
Producer
B
Primary consumer
C
Secondary consumer
D
Decomposer

Written response

1 point

In some deep-sea hydrothermal-vent ecosystems, what energy source can bacteria use instead of sunlight?

Written response

1 point

Using the approximate $10\%$ energy-transfer rule, if one trophic level has $500$ energy units of biomass available, about how many energy units become biomass available to the next level?

Written response

1 point

A terrarium contains plants, insects, soil, water, and air. According to the definition of an ecosystem, what must the organisms do with the nonliving environment for the terrarium to qualify as an ecosystem? Enter the verb.