Ecology

Multiple Choice Quiz

Multiple choice quiz of 20 questions.
Try it as often as you like.
You will get a different set of questions each time you attempt this quiz.

Ecology is the study of
1. how living things react with each other and their environment.
2. inherited characteristics.
3. local habitats.
4. how minerals and food travel through a plant.
Which one of the following statements is incorrect?
1. Plants depend upon animals for food and shelter.
2. Plants rely on animals to help them scatter their seeds.
3. Bacteria and fungi help plants to return minerals to the soil.
4. Animals need plants as a source of food.
The area where a plant or animal lives is known as
1. habitat
2. population
3. community
4. ecosystem
Which one of the following is not an example of a habitat?
1. Town
2. Pond
3. Meadow
4. Sea shore
In which of the following habitats would you not find an elephant?
1. Sea shore
2. Forest
3. Grassland
4. Scrub
Which one of the following would not be found in a garden habitat?
1. Trout
2. Daisy
3. Earthworm
4. Robin
Which habitat does grass not belong in?
1. Cave
2. Woodland
3. Hedgerow
4. Forest
Hedgerows are man-made barriers generally used as field boundaries.
Which one of the following would you expect to find living in a hedgerow?
1. Blackbird
2. Bat
3. Badger
4. Bear
All of the limpets in the rocky shore make up a
1. population
2. ecosystem
3. habitat
4. food web
Green plants that make their own food are called
1. producers
2. herbivores
3. decomposers
4. consumers
Organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms are known as
1. consumers
2. producers
3. herbivores
4. decomposers
Which one of the following is not a consumer?
1. Decomposer
2. Herbivore
3. Carnivore
4. Omnivore
Organisms that break down dead plants and animals are called
1. decomposers
2. omnivores
3. producers
4. consumers
Which one of the following is an example of a decomposer?
1. Earthworm
2. Lizard
3. Lobster
4. Spider
Which one of the following is not an example of a decomposer?
1. Spider
2. Wood louse
3. Earthworm
4. Fungus
A consumer that eats plant material only is called a
1. herbivore
2. carnivore
3. omnivore
4. decomposer
A consumer that eats animal material only is called a
1. carnivore
2. herbivore
3. decomposer
4. omnivore
A consumer that eats animal and plant material is called a
1. omnivore
2. herbivore
3. carnivore
4. producer
Which one of the following helps put nutrients back into the soil?
1. Decomposer
2. Producer
3. Consumer
4. Star-fish
The way in which energy and nutrients pass from one organism to the next is known as a
1. food chain
2. community
3. ecosystem
4. habitat
Which one of the following is not a food chain?
1. Squirrel ➞ nuts ➞ hawk
2. Grass ➞ cows ➞ humans
3. Grass ➞ antelope ➞ tiger
4. Leaves ➞ caterpillar ➞ bird
Which one of the following organisms is missing from the food chain?
Leaves ➞ caterpillar ➞ X ➞ hawk
1. X = sparrow
2. X = fox
3. X = seaweed
4. X = limpet
Which one of the following food chains belongs to a woodland?
1. leaves ➞ caterpillar ➞ thrush
2. phytoplankton ➞ krill ➞ whale
3. grass ➞ zebra ➞ lion
4. water cress ➞ mayfly larva ➞ stickleback
Study the diagram of a food web and choose which one of the following is a secondary consumer.
1. ground beetle
2. spider
3. woodlouse
4. leaf litter
Interconnected food chains are known as
1. food webs
2. habitats
3. populations
4. producers
The ability of plants or animals to change in order to survive in their environment is known as
1. adaptation
2. competition
3. population
4. decomposition
In what way have primroses adapted in order to better survive?
1. They flower early in the spring.
2. They may have different coloured petals.
3. They have sharp bristles on their stems.
4. They are poisonous to eat.
When different organisms fight over the same resources, there is said to be
1. competition
2. adaptation
3. energy flow
4. a food chain
The way in which organisms depend on each other to survive is known as
1. interdependence
2. adaptation
3. a food chain
4. energy flow
What is meant by a food web?
1. A series of interconnecting food chains
2. Part of a web where a spider stores food
3. A spiders web which can also be eaten as food
4. A diagram which shows how different foods are related to each other
Which one of the following statements is incorrect?
1. Plants do not depend upon animals for survival.
2. Animals depend upon plants for survival.
3. Flowers depend upon animals for pollination.
4. Decomposers depend upon dead plants and animals.
Study the food web shown and select the herbivore from the list below.
1. Butterfly
2. Ladybird
3. Fox
4. Snake
Study the food web shown and select the carnivore from the list below.
1. Buzzard
2. Mouse
3. Titmouse
4. Greenfly
Study the food web shown.
Which one of the following is not a food chain?
1. Berries ➞ Ladybird ➞ Dragonfly
2. Berries ➞ Butterfly ➞ Frog
3. Plantain ➞ Mouse ➞ Fox
4. Plantain ➞ Mouse ➞ Buzzard
Study the food web shown.
Which one of the following is a proper food chain?
1. Green plant ➞ Rabbit ➞ Owl
2. Fox ➞ Rabbit ➞ Green plants
3. Green plants ➞ Butterfly ➞ Owl
4. Green plants ➞ Mouse ➞ Frog
Study the food web shown.
Which of the following pairs of animals are in competition?
1. Rabbit and mouse
2. Frog and rabbit
3. Thrush and owl
4. Grasshopper and fox
The diagram shows part of a food web from a mixed habitat with meadows, streams and hedges.
Which one of the following is a food chain in this food web?
1. E₂ ➞ B ➞ Frog
2. E₂ ➞ C ➞ Dragonfly
3. E₃ → Butterfly ➞ Fox
4. Dragonfly ➞ Fly ➞ E₃
The food chain below relates to a garden habitat.
Select a producer and a consumer from this food chain.
1. Producer = rosebush, Consumer = ladybird.
2. Producer = aphid, Consumer = ladybird.
3. Producer = ladybird, Consumer = rosebush.
4. Producer = ladybird, Consumer = robin.
The food chain below relates to a garden habitat.
What effect would the removal of the ladybirds have on the aphid population?
1. The aphid population would increase.
2. The aphid population would decrease.
3. There would be no change.
Banana plants are part of a food web.
In a particular year, there are fewer ants in the population.
Which one of the following is the most likely to happen?
1. There will be less successful banana plants.
2. There will be more successful banana plants.
3. There will be more birds surviving.
4. There will be less banana aphids.
Snails are herbivores.
Thrushes and blackbirds eat snails.
Select the proper food chain from the following:
1. Plant ➞ Snail ➞ Thrush
2. Snail ➞ Thrush ➞ Blackbird
3. Snail ➞ Blackbird ➞ Thrush
4. Thrush ➞ Snail ➞ Plants
Which one of the following best describes an adaptation?
1. Feature that helps an animal or plant to survive.
2. A type of desert animal.
3. A group of bacteria that live in an environment.
4. An insect that acts as a decomposer.
Lots of animals find it hard to survive in the desert. This is because it is very
1. hot
2. windy
3. wet
4. cold
Lots of animals find it hard to survive in the arctic. This is because it is very
1. cold
2. windy
3. hot
4. wet
The kangaroo rat lives in the desert. What two adaptations help it to survive?
1. Well developed hind legs
2. Camouflage
3. Thin coat
4. Twitchy nose
Select three adaptations from the following list that plants and animals have for scaring away predators.
1. Thorns
2. Poison in stings
3. Bright colours
4. Camouflage
5. Thick fur
6. A round shape
The polar bear has adapted to suit its environment.
Which adaptation has it made to help it grip the ice?
1. Hair on underside of feet
2. Sharp claws
3. White fur
4. Layer of fat underneath fur
The polar bear has adapted to suit its environment.
Which adaptation has it made to help it catch seals?
1. Sharp claws
2. Hair on underside of feet
3. White fur
4. Layer of fat underneath fur
The picture shows a red-eyed tree frog. These frogs are bright green with red eyes, blue stripes and orange feet. They live in trees in the rainforest and feed on small insects.
Which one of the following adaptations helps it feed.
1. It has a long sticky tongue.
2. It camouflages itself when sleeping by closing its bright eyes.
3. It camouflages itself when sleeping by tucking its feet beneath its body.
4. It has sticky pads on its fingers and toes.
Desert animals need to lose heat.
Camels have adapted to help them lose heat.
Which one of the following adaptations does not help it lose heat?
1. Its fur is a sandy colour.
2. It has a long thin shape.
3. It has very little body fat.
4. It has a thin coat of fur.
Arctic animals need to save heat.
Polar bears have adapted to help them save heat.
Which one of the following adaptations does not help it save heat?
1. It has white fur.
2. It has a round shape.
3. It has lots of body fat.
4. It has a thick coat of fur.
The picture shows part of a food web in the sea around the Antarctic.
Crabeater seals eat krill.
Fishermen catch large amounts of krill from the sea.
How would a decrease in the number of krill affect the number of
crabeater seals?
1. The number of crabeater seals would decrease.
2. The number of crabeater seals would increase.
3. There would be no effect on the number of crabeater seals.
The picture shows part of a food web in the sea around the Antarctic.
If there is a decrease in krill due to fishermen catching too many, which species will be least affected?
1. Leopard seal
2. Squid
3. Cod
4. Crabeater seal
The drawings below show four living things found in a wood.
Caterpillars eat oak leaves.
Owls eat blackbirds.
Blackbirds eat caterpillars.
Complete the food chain for these living things.
Oak Tree ➞ A ➞ B ➞ C
1. A = Caterpillars, B = Blackbirds, C = Owls
2. A = Caterpillars, B = Owls, C = Blackbirds
3. A = Owls, B = Blackbirds, C = Caterpillars
4. A = Blackbirds, B = Owls, C = Caterpillars
Everything that surrounds an animal or a plant is known as its
1. environment
2. habitat
3. region
4. community
Which one of the following habitats would you most likely find at the coast?
1. Sand dune
2. Forest
3. Bog
4. Desert
The collection of different species that lives in a particular habitat is called
1. a community
2. an environment
3. a nest
4. a brood
Which one of the following is not a producer?
1. Deer
2. Tree
3. Grass
4. Cabbage
Which one of the following is not a consumer?
1. Lettuce
2. Wolf
3. Rabbit
4. Preying mantis
Which one of the following is not an omnivore?
1. Rabbit
2. Human
3. Badger
4. Dog
Which one of the following is NOT a decomposer?
1. Mouse
2. Earthworm
3. Woodlouse
4. Snail
As you go up along a food chain, the number of organisms gets
1. smaller
2. greater
3. better
Which one of the following do animals not compete for?
1. Sunshine
2. Food
3. Shelter
4. Territory
Which one of the following do plants not compete for?
1. Shelter
2. Light
3. Water
4. Minerals
Which living thing, found growing on trees in Ireland, consists of two organisms, algae and fungi which depend on each other to survive.
1. Lichens
2. Moss
3. Seaweed
Lichens are very important to ecologists as
1. good pollution indicators
2. they help pollinate plants
3. they provide shelter to some plants
4. they stop ultra violet light from damaging cells in the plant
Habitats are affected by environmental factors.
Which one of the following factors is most unlikely to affect a habitat?
1. The number of times it is photographed.
2. The soil type of the habitat.
3. The weather most prevalent in the habitat.
4. Competition between plants in the habitat.
Some environmental factors may be measured with instruments.
What factor does a light meter measure?
1. Light intensity
2. Temperature
3. Rainfall
4. pH of soil
When identifying insects found in a habitat, which one of the following is most useful?
1. Key
2. Map
3. Lock
4. Pooter