Environment basics and ecology concepts - Question Bank
1. What is the term for the variety of genes within a species?
2. Which environmental issue involves the accumulation of toxic substances in organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain?
3. The process by which a lake becomes excessively enriched with nutrients, leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion, is called:
4. Pollution of rivers and lakes by acidic compounds is known as:
5. What is the term for the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the Earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect?
6. The greenhouse effect is primarily caused by gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, such as:
7. Which gas is a major component of Earth's atmosphere and is crucial for respiration?
8. What is a climax community in ecology?
9. The establishment of an ecosystem in a previously lifeless area, such as bare rock, is called:
10. Which type of succession occurs in a previously inhabited area that has been disturbed?
11. The gradual change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations is called:
12. What is the term for the process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring?
13. Competition between individuals of the same species is known as:
14. In a relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped, it is called:
15. A relationship between two species where both species benefit is called:
16. Which term describes a relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed?
17. When a species is introduced into a new environment where it has no natural predators or diseases, it can lead to:
18. What is the term for the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained in that specific environment?
19. The process by which nitrogen is converted into various chemical forms as it circulates among the atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems is called the:
20. Which element is essential for all life and is cycled through the environment?
21. The process by which carbon compounds are converted in the course of a natural cycle is known as the:
22. What is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth called?
23. The process by which water moves through plants and evaporates from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and flowers, is called:
24. Which biome is characterized by very low temperatures, little precipitation, and a short growing season?
25. A large geographical area characterized by specific climate conditions and dominant plant and animal communities is known as a:
26. Which term describes the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem?
27. The role and position a species has in its environment, including how it meets its needs for food and shelter, how it survives, and how it reproduces, is called its:
28. What is the term for the specific physical place or environment where an organism lives?
29. What is the primary gas released into the atmosphere during photosynthesis?
30. The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll pigment is called:
31. In most ecosystems, the pyramid of energy is always:
32. Which ecological pyramid represents the total mass of organisms at each trophic level?
33. A complex network of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem is known as a:
34. The path of energy transfer through different trophic levels in an ecosystem is called a:
35. What is the term for organisms that feed on dead and decaying organic matter?
36. Fungi and bacteria are common examples of:
37. Which organisms break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil?
38. An animal that eats both plants and other animals is classified as a(n):
39. An organism that eats other animals is called a:
40. A herbivore is an example of which type of consumer?
41. Which type of consumer feeds directly on producers?
42. Organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms are known as:
43. Plants are typically considered which type of organism in an ecosystem?
44. Organisms that produce their own food, usually through photosynthesis, are called:
45. Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor?
46. What are the non-living physical and chemical elements of an ecosystem called?
47. A group of individuals of the same species living and interbreeding within a given area is known as a:
48. Which level of ecological organization includes all the different species living in a particular area?
49. What is a community of living organisms interacting with their non-living environment called?
50. Which term describes the study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their physical environment?