30 Ecology Biology Quiz Questions and Answers

Ecology is a branch of biology that studies the relationships between living organisms and their interactions with the environment. It focuses on understanding how organisms, both plants and animals, interact with each other and with the abiotic factors in their ecosystems. Ecologists study the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of organisms, as well as the processes that govern the flow of energy and the cycling of nutrients within ecosystems.

Key aspects of Ecology include:

Levels of Organization: Ecology encompasses various levels of organization, from individual organisms to populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere. It explores how these levels are interconnected and how they influence each other.

Ecosystem Structure: Ecologists study the physical components of ecosystems, such as habitats, climate, and geological features, as well as the biotic components, including the diverse species of plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Biotic Interactions: Ecologists investigate the relationships between different organisms in a community, including predation, competition, mutualism, and parasitism.

Energy Flow and Food Chains: The flow of energy through ecosystems is an essential focus of ecology. Ecologists study food chains and food webs to understand how energy is transferred from producers (plants) to consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores) and decomposers.

Article overview

• Part 1: 30 Ecology Biology quiz questions & answers
• Part 2: Download Ecology Biology questions & answers for free
• Part 3: Free online quiz software – OnlineExamMaker

Part 1: 30 Ecology Biology quiz questions & answers

1. What is Ecology?
a) The study of cells and tissues
b) The study of genes and heredity
c) The study of organisms and their interactions with the environment
d) The study of rocks and minerals
Answer: c) The study of organisms and their interactions with the environment

2. Which level of ecological organization includes all living organisms in a specific area?
a) Population
b) Community
c) Ecosystem
d) Biosphere
Answer: b) Community

3. What are the biotic factors in an ecosystem?
a) Abiotic components
b) Physical features
c) Living organisms
d) Climate and weather
Answer: c) Living organisms

4. What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?
a) Wind
b) Water
c) Sunlight
d) Soil
Answer: c) Sunlight

5. Which term describes the specific role or function of an organism in an ecosystem?
a) Population
b) Niche
c) Habitat
d) Trophic level
Answer: b) Niche

6. What is a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area and potentially interbreeding?
a) Community
b) Population
c) Ecosystem
d) Biosphere
Answer: b) Population

7. Which ecological level includes both biotic and abiotic components of an environment?
a) Population
b) Community
c) Ecosystem
d) Biosphere
Answer: c) Ecosystem

8. What is the process by which green plants convert sunlight into chemical energy through photosynthesis?
a) Respiration
b) Decomposition
c) Herbivory
d) Producer
Answer: d) Producer

9. What are consumers that feed on both plants and animals called?
a) Herbivores
b) Carnivores
c) Omnivores
d) Decomposers
Answer: c) Omnivores

10. Which of the following is a decomposer in an ecosystem?
a) Hawk
b) Snake
c) Earthworm
d) Grasshopper
Answer: c) Earthworm

11. Which term refers to the maximum population size that a particular environment can support indefinitely?
a) Carrying capacity
b) Birth rate
c) Death rate
d) Immigration rate
Answer: a) Carrying capacity

12. What is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms in different regions called?
a) Conservation biology
b) Biogeography
c) Ecological modeling
d) Community ecology
Answer: b) Biogeography

13. What is the relationship between two species where one species benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed?
a) Mutualism
b) Parasitism
c) Commensalism
d) Competition
Answer: c) Commensalism

14. Which term refers to the process by which different species evolve to have similar traits due to similar environmental pressures?
a) Speciation
b) Convergent evolution
c) Coevolution
d) Adaptive radiation
Answer: b) Convergent evolution

15. Which type of ecological succession occurs in an area where no soil is present, such as after a volcanic eruption?
a) Primary succession
b) Secondary succession
c) Tertiary succession
d) Pioneer succession
Answer: a) Primary succession

Part 2: Download Ecology Biology questions & answers for free

16. Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?
a) Temperature
b) Water availability
c) Soil nutrients
d) Predators
Answer: d) Predators

17. What is the term for the process of breaking down dead organic matter into simpler substances?
a) Decomposition
b) Photosynthesis
c) Eutrophication
d) Predation
Answer: a) Decomposition

18. Which level of ecological organization includes all the living organisms in a particular ecosystem?
a) Population
b) Community
c) Ecosystem
d) Biosphere
Answer: b) Community

19. Which term refers to the study of how living organisms interact with each other and their physical environment?
a) Genetics
b) Ecology
c) Physiology
d) Evolution
Answer: b) Ecology

20. What is the process by which organisms with certain beneficial traits survive and reproduce more successfully than others in a population?
a) Photosynthesis
b) Natural selection
c) Genetic drift
d) Speciation
Answer: b) Natural selection

21. Which term describes the place or environment where an organism lives and carries out its daily activities?
a) Niche
b) Habitat
c) Population
d) Trophic level
Answer: b) Habitat

22. Which type of ecological relationship benefits both species involved?
a) Predation
b) Parasitism
c) Commensalism
d) Mutualism
Answer: d) Mutualism

23. What is the term for a series of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem?
a) Food cycle
b) Food web
c) Trophic cascade
d) Energy pyramid
Answer: b) Food web

24. What are the organisms at the highest trophic level in a food chain called?
a) Producers
b) Herbivores
c) Carnivores
d) Decomposers
Answer: c) Carnivores

25. What is the scientific term for all the living organisms in an area along with their physical environment?
a) Population
b) Community
c) Ecosystem
d) Biosphere
Answer: c) Ecosystem

26. Which ecological relationship occurs when one species benefits at the expense of another species?
a) Predation
b) Parasitism
c) Commensalism
d) Competition
Answer: b) Parasitism

27. What is the term for the number of different species in a given area or community?
a) Biomass
b) Biodiversity
c) Carrying capacity
d) Trophic level
Answer: b) Biodiversity

28. Which term refers to the process of organisms moving into a new area to establish a population?
a) Emigration
b) Immigration
c) Predation
d) Speciation
Answer: b) Immigration

29. What is the process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia by certain bacteria called?
a) Nitrogen fixation
b) Nitrification
c) Denitrification
d) Ammonification
Answer: a) Nitrogen fixation

30. What is the process by which two or more species evolve in response to changes in each other over time?
a) Speciation
b) Convergent evolution
c) Coevolution
d) Adaptive radiation
Answer: c) Coevolution

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