Ecosystem Basics
Which areas receive the most direct sunlight?
A) Near the poles
B) Near the equator
C) Between poles and equator
D) Mountain regions
B) Near the equator
Humus is made from:
A) Weather patterns
B) Decay of dead plants and animals
C) Bedrock
D) Sunlight energy
B) Decay of dead plants and animals
What is a population?
A) All living things in an ecosystem
B) Members of one kind of organism in an area
C) The nonliving parts of an ecosystem
D) Animals only
B) Members of one kind of organism in an area
Why is photosynthesis important?
A) It gives plants color
B) It helps animals breathe
C) It makes food for plants and other living things
D) It creates soil
C) It makes food for plants and other living things
Which of these is an edible root?
A) Sugarcane
B) Asparagus
C) Carrot
D) Bamboo
C) Carrot
What do animals in areas with cold winters often do?
A) Hibernate, migrate, or adapt
B) Leave the ecosystem forever
C) Turn into plants
D) Stop needing food
A) Hibernate, migrate, or adapt
Which of these is NOT a nonliving factor?
A) Altitude
B) Air
C) Weather patterns
D) Bacteria
D) Bacteria
What is part of a beaver’s niche?
A) Eating fish
B) Flying to warm places
C) Building dams that flood areas
D) Huddling to stay warm
C) Building dams that flood areas
Which part of the plant contains most chlorophyll?
A) Roots
B) Seeds
C) Flowers
D) Leaves
D) Leaves
Which tube carries food downward from the leaves?
A) Xylem
B) Epidermis
C) Cambium
D) Phloem
D) Phloem
What role does the Sun mainly play in ecosystems?
A) Provides soil nutrients
B) Provides energy and heat
C) Makes air to flow
D) Creates rain
B) Provides energy and heat
Which soil layer is made of broken-down rock that has no humus?
A) Subsoil
B) Parent rock
C) Bedrock
D) Topsoil
B) Parent rock
For a community to survive, its populations must:
A) Fight each other
B) Use only nonliving parts
C) Stay separate
D) Be balanced and interact
D) Be balanced and interact
Photosynthesis mainly produces:
A) Minerals for the soil
B) Oxygen and food for plants
C) Carbon dioxide for animals
D) Heat energy
B) Oxygen and food for plants
What is the role of the cambium?
A) Makes chlorophyll
B) Creates new cells between xylem and phloem
C) Protects the root tip
D) Stores food in stems
B) Creates new cells between xylem and phloem
Which of these animals thrives in the Amazon rainforest?
A) Polar bears
B) Parrots
C) Penguins
D) Seals
B) Parrots
Which two nonliving factors MOST directly affect where plants and animals live?
A) Soil and sunlight
B) Altitude and bacteria
C) Water and mushrooms
D) Humus and animals
A) Soil and sunlight
The California coast is the ______ of sea lions.
A) Habitat
B) Niche
C) Community
D) Population
A) Habitat
What role does chlorophyll play?
A) Stores water in the roots
B) Absorbs energy from sunlight
C) Transports food
D) Breaks down soil
B) Absorbs energy from sunlight
Which type of roots form a dense, shallow network?
A) Taproots
B) Stem roots
C) Woody roots
D) Fibrous roots
D) Fibrous roots
Which best describes why ecosystems vary around Earth?
A) They are shaped by sunlight, temperature, and nonliving factors
B) All ecosystems are the same everywhere
C) They are decided only by human activity
D) They are random
A) They are shaped by sunlight, temperature, and nonliving factors
Why is it important to plant on hillsides?
A) To decorate the land
B) To stop wind and water from carrying soil away
C) To make the soil harder
D) To attract animals
B) To stop wind and water from carrying soil away
Why are niches important in ecosystems?
A) They make organisms identical
B) They help balance interactions in communities
C) They prevent living things from adapting
D) They remove competition completely
B) They help balance interactions in communities
Without photosynthesis, what would happen to most life on Earth?
A) Plants would depend on pollination
B) Animals would adapt to living without plants
C) Living things would run out of food and energy
D) Soil would be richer with nutrients
C) Living things would run out of food and energy
Which of these is an edible stem?
A) Sweet potato
B) Sugarcane
C) Carrot
D) Radish
B) Sugarcane