Name ___________________________________________ Period _______ Date __________________________________
Biology Test – POPULATION ECOLOGY…Limiting Factors AND Succession
Multiple Choice
Write the letter of the best answer in the space provided.
_________ 1. Limiting factors control the _______ of a population.
a. Color c. location
b. Growth d. shape
_________ 2. ________ __________ determine the carrying capacity of an environment for a
species.
a. Carrying capacity c. Density conditions
b. Limiting factors d. Intraspecific competition
_________ 3. The number of individuals of a species that can live successfully in a certain area
refers to the (a.k.a. “how crowded a population is or how many it can hold”)
a. carrying capacity c. density factor
b. limiting factor d. minimal capacity
_________ 4. Density dependent limiting factors are
a. abiotic c. biotic
b. dispersion d. Predation
_________ 5. Density independent limiting factors are
a. abiotic c. biotic
b. dispersion d. Predation
_________ 6. A wildfire sweeps through a forest. What kind of limiting factor is this?
a. Density independent
b. Density dependent
_________ 7. A parasite has infected the local deer herd and is spreading quickly and killing
them. What kind of limiting factor is this?
a. Density independent
b. Density dependent
_________ 8. Cutting down trees increases the temperature of a stream. This is a
a. Density independent limiting factor
b. Density dependent limiting factor
_________ 9. A very snowy winter buries much of the food supply for wild turkeys. This
illustrates a
a. Density independent limiting factor
b. Density dependent limiting factor
Biology Quiz 3b Updated 20191104 Page 1
_________ 10. A logistic growth curve looks like a(n) __________ on a graph?
a. S c. Z
b. J d. dancing
_________ 11. An exponential growth curve looks like a(n) _________ on a graph?
a. S c. Z
b. J d. trophic cascade
_________ 12. Small organisms like a mouse, that have short lives, produce many offspring, and
do not nurture their young are called ____________________.
a. r-strategists c. h-strategists
b. k-strategists d. predation
________ 13. Populations can be distributed in three different patterns in nature, they are
a. circle, square, random c. clumped, random, all together
b. clumped, uniform, random d. predation
________ 14. Ecologists and biologists measure and estimate size and density of a population by
using ___________________ and ____________________.
a. Quads & Marking c. Re-capture & Trapping
b. Mark Re-Capture & Quadrats d. cannibalism
Multiple Choice
Write the letter of the best answer in the space provided.
_____ 15. Succession that occurs after a fire in an ecosystem is called __________________.
a. primary succession c. secondary succession
b. pioneer succession d. climax succession
_____ 16. Plants that grow on rocks helping to further break down the rocks into soil are
called_________________________.
a. grasses c. pioneer species
b. shade-tolerant trees d. pines
_____ 17. The following natural events will cause primary succession to occur:
a. glacier movement and volcanoes c. tsunamis and tornadoes
b. wildfires and controlled burns d. floods and hurricanes
_____ 18. Lichens are most likely to grow in the following type of area:
a. A young deciduous forest. c. a grassy area cleared by a wild fire.
b. after a volcano erupts. d. an open farm field.
_____ 19. The first plants to grow after a fire are called the ________________________.
a. pioneer species c. climax community
b. seeds d. successional species
Biology Quiz 3b Updated 20191104 Page 2
_____ 20. In ecology, succession refers to:
a. balances of power c. natural selection.
b. survival of the fittest. d. one species replacing another.
_____ 21. A pioneer species such as ______________________ are a combination of algae
and fungus that grow on bare rock.
a. grasses c. legumes
b. lichens d. mushrooms
_____ 22. A type of succession that occurs on abandoned farmland is called
a. primary succession c. climax community
b. old-field succession d. pioneer species
_____ 23. How do lichens and mosses contribute to primary succession?
a. they are nitrogen fixing bacteria.
b. they convert carbohydrates into fossil fuels.
c. they decompose organic matter from animals and plants.
d. they begin to break down rock to form soil.
_____ 24. What type of vegetation would you expect to find on an abandoned farm after 150
years?
a. short grasses c. shrubs
b. pine trees and oak trees d. lichens
_____ 25. Natural disasters such as flooding and tornadoes are linked to ____________
succession.
a. old-field c. primary
b. secondary d. ecosystem
_____ 26. The final stable community that is made up of mature, hardwood trees is called
a. pioneer community c. climax community
b. farmland d. old field
_____ 27. __________ succession is more likely to take hundreds of years before trees are
seen.
a. secondary c. primary
b. presidential d. pioneer
_____ 28. The pioneer species most likely to be found in secondary succession includes:
a. lichens c. pine trees
b. oak trees d. grasses
_____ 29. Hawaii would be a good location to find primary succession because
a. It is volcanic islands. c. retreating glaciers are found there
b. recent fires have caused succession d. of many abandoned farms
Biology Quiz 3b Updated 20191104 Page 3
_____ 30. What type of succession occurred when the north side of Mt. St. Helens blew up
and buried the area under 200 feet of rock and ash?
a. pioneer c. primary
b. secondary d. climax
_____ 31. What natural disaster affected Mt. St. Helens and the ecological succession of the
surrounding area?
a. tsunami c. hurricane
b. earthquake d. volcano
_____ 32. When does a climax community change?
a. after a natural disaster c. both a and b
b. After human disturbance d. Never, it always remains stable
_____ 33. The first organisms in new pond would be
a. kelp and seaweed c. cattails and lily pads
b. plankton and algae d. amphibians and fish
_____ 34. As a pond passes through succession, the last stage would have
a. been filled with vegetation and no longer has open water.
b. plankton and fish that make nests on the sandy bottom.
c. cattails, water lilies, amphibians, and reptiles.
d. A thin layer of humus on the bottom with branching algae covering the
humus.
_____ 35. Grasses can change a sand dune by doing all of the following except
a. Breaking down rocks into soil.
b. Adding nutrients to the soil when the grasses die.
c. Creating an environment that can support other plant species.
d. Rooting and keeping the sand dune from moving.
Biology Quiz 3b Updated 20191104 Page 4
Completion Questions
Answer 36-40 using the graph pictured below.
Does Temperature Affect Fish Growth
Rate?
Answer the following in complete sentences.
36. What are the names of the three species of fish in the graph?
37. At what temperature do largemouth bass grow the fastest? (circle the best answer)
a. 10 oC c. 20 oC
b. 30 oC d. 40 oC
38. What is the limiting factor shown in this graph?
39. Is this a density dependent or a density independent limiting factor?
40. If a stream had an average yearly temperature of 22 oC, which species of fish shown in the graph
would grow the fastest?
Biology Quiz 3b Updated 20191104 Page 5
