TERM 3
TOPICAL REVISION
CHAPTER 15
ECOLOGY
1. Why is the number of links in a food chain limited to
only four or five trophic levels?
A. The food chain reaches the carrying capacity.
B. High amount of energy is lost at every trophic level.
C. There are different modes of nutrition among
organisms.
D. There are different organisms that occupy different
trophic levels.
2. An example of a biome is
A. pond B. stream
C. mountain D. tropical rainforest
3. The results obtained by students to determine the
frequency of Ischaemum sp. using quadrat sampling
technique in an open area are shown below.
Quadrat / 1m2 1 2 3 4 5
Ischaemum 7 3 5 0 7
sp.frequency of Ischaemum sp.?
What is the
A. 22% B. 44% C. 80% D. 100%
4. Ah Chong wanted to estimate the number of catfish in
his pond. He captured 25 catfish, marked them with a
non-toxic dye & released them. After 1 week, he
recaptured 60 catfish, of which 50 were unmarked. What
is the best estimate of the number of catfish in his
pond?
A. 30 B. 60 C. 120 D. 150
5. What is the correct sequence of living components in
ascending order?
A. Population, community, organism, biome, ecosystem
B. Population, community, organism, ecosystem, biome
C. Organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome
D. Organism, community, population, ecosystem, biome
6. The energy flow in an ecosystem is
A. the energy used by decomposers.
B. the energy used by all the organisms at every trophic
level.
C. the energy which is transferred from the producers to
the consumers.
D. the light energy which is converted to chemical energy
by the producers.
7. In an investigation to estimate the population size of a
species of beetle by capture-recapture method, the
lower surface of the beetles is marked with a small spot
of paint. Which is the reason why a beetle is not marked
on its back?
A. The paint will be more visible on the lower surface of
the beetle.
B. The paint will make the beetle more noticeable to the
predators.
C. The paint will damage the epidermis of the beetle.
D. The paint will hinder the movement of the beetle.
8. In which situation would an algal bloom occur in a pond?
A. After heavy rain
B. Plenty of sunlight
C. A run-off from a nearby fertilised field
D. The presence of a large population of zooplankton
9. Carrying capacity is defined as
A. the maximum population growth rate under ideal
conditions.
B. the change in the population size per individual per unit
time.
C. the maximum population size that can be supported by
an ecosystem.
D. the members of a species that live in an ecosystem and
have the potential to reproduce.
10. Which organism does not contribute to the primary
productivity of an ecosystem?
A. Cyanobacteria B. Purple bacteria
C. Saprophytic bacteria D. Chemosynthetic
bacteria
11. All ecosystems are dependent on energy input
because
A. producers have a greater biomass than consumers.
B. carnivores have a greater biomass than producers.
C. decomposers process the greatest amount of energy in
an ecosystem.
D. energy transformation results in partial loss of usable
energy to the environment.
12. Which statement is true of the biological species
concept?
A. Individuals of the same species live in the same habitat.
B. Individuals of the same species are similar in
morphology.
C. Individuals of the same species have similar
chromosome structure.
D. Individuals of the same species are capable of breeding
with one another to produce fertile offspring.
13. Which statement is not true of r-selected species?
A. The body size is small
B. The development period to achieve maturity is short
C. It involves parental care
D. The lifespan is short
14. The graph below shows the rate of growth of an animal
population against the population size.
Rate of
population
growth
X
Population size
Which of the following is true of the population at point X?
A. K-strategy action
B. Maximum rate of natality
C. Minimum rate of mortality
D. Carrying capacity of the population
15. A total of 72 wood mice are caught from a parkland,
marked & released into their original habitat. After five
days, 85 wood mice are caught from the same parkland,
& 8 of them are found to be marked. Estimate the size of
the wood mice population in the parkland.
A. 165 B. 576 C. 680 D. 765
16. Which of the following energy flows in an ecosystem
involves the transfer of the greatest amount of energy?
A. Plant Herbivore
B. Plant Decomposer
C. Herbivore Carnivore
D. Carnivore Decomposer
17. A total of 50 squirrels were caught from a forest, marked
& released. A few days later, 40 squirrels were caught
from the same region & 4 of them had marks. Estimate
the population size of the squirrels in that forest.
A. 160 B. 200C. 500D. 2000
18. Which of the following are true of an ecosystem?
I Phytoplanktons are producers
II The last consumer obtain the highest energy
III Ecosystem is an open system with input & output
of energy
IV Heterotrophs include herbivores, carnivores,
omnivores, decomposers & detritivores
A. I and II B. III and IV C. I, III and IV D. II, III and IV
19. Which of the following statements explain natality?
I The number of births per thousand individuals in
the population in a year
II The number of mortality per thousand individuals
in the population in a year
III The number of eggs produced in a reproductive
cycle
IV The number of offspring produced by the
individual female per unit time
A. I and II B. II and IV C. I, III and IV D. II, III and
IV
20. A quadrat frame of size 50 cm x 50 cm was used to
determine the density of a species X in areas P and Q.
The results obtained are as follows.
Quadrat number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Area P 20 0 14 16 6 10 10 18 0 6
Area Q 12 0 4 6 4 2 0 10 2 0
What is the density, in units per square meter, of species
X in the two areas?
P Q
A. 5 2
B. 10 4
C. 40 16
D. 400 160
21. Which of these bacteria play(s) an important role in
sulphur cycle?
I Thiobacillus
II Desulphovibrio
III Nitrosomonas
A. I only B. III only C. I and II D. I, II and III
22. The maximum number of individuals in a population
that can be supported by natural sources in an
environment is called
A. survival B. biotic potential
C. carrying capacity D. population growth
23. In an experiment, a 25cm x 25cm quadrat was used to
determine the density of the plant, Mimosa pudica in the
area P and Q. The resuts of the experiment are shown
below.
Quadrat number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Area P 3 6 7 0 3 2 1 5 0 3
Area Q 3 4 3 2 1 0 4 1 2 0
What is the density of the plant Mimosa pudica per square
meter in areas P & Q?
P Q
A. 20 16
B. 30 20
C. 48 32
D. 60 40
24. The following is a list of five terms & five definitions for the terms.
Terms Definition
I The environment in which animals & plants live
II The study of the relationships between animals &
(a) Ecology plants & their environment
(b) Ecosystem III The process of community formation that
(c) Habitat involves changes in species composition
(d) Climax IV A stable organism community that is balanced
(e) Displacement with the natural environment
V A natural unit that consists of biotic & abiotic
components that react to form a stable system
Which of the following matches is correct for the five terms above & their
definitions?
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
A. I V II III IV
B. II V I IV III
C. III I IV V II
D. V II III IV I
25. Energy reductions occur at any one
level of energy flow in an ecosystem
because the energy is
I not assimilated
II decomposed by saprophytes
III lost during respiration
IV converted into storage substances
A. II and III B. II and IV
C. I, II and III D. I, III and IV
26. Population can be defined as
A. all individuals of the same species
occupying a specific area.
B. all the species inhabiting a common
environment & interacting with one
another.
C. a group whose members possess
similar anatomical characteristics & have
the ability to interbreed.
D. a group of species that are more closely
related to one another in their
morphology, ecology & history.
27. Which ecosystem has the pyramid of
biomass as shown below?
Primary consumers
Producers
A. Desert B. Temperate forest
C. Aquatic D. Tropical rain forest
28.
29. The results of 0.5m x 0.5m quadrat sampling of
plants A, B and C in a field are shown in the
table below.
Number of plants
Quadrat 1 Quadrat 2 Quadrat 3 Quadrat 4
Plant A 3 2 2 4
Plant B 1 0 2 0
Plant C 1 2 2 1
What is the relative species density of plant A in
the field?
A. 44.0 B. 11.0
C. 0.55 D. 0.45
30. Which equation represents the
relationship between gross primary
productivity (GPP), net primary
productivity (NPP) & energy used by
primary producer for respiration (R)?
A. NPP = GPP - R B. NPP = GPP + R
C. GPP = NPP - R D. R = NPP - GPP
31.
32. The data of species P density in ten
quadrats measuring 1 m2 each is given in
the table below.
Total number of species P in all
50
quadrats
Average species coverage of P in each
0.025 cm2
quadrat
What is the percentage of species coverage
of P?
A. 0.25 B. 0.025
C. 0.0025 D. 0.00025
33. What is the average percentage
efficiency of the energy conversion in
each level of a food chain?
A. 10% B. 50%
C. 70% D. 90%
34. Which will not affect population growth?
A. Migration B. Mortality
C. Mutation D. Natality
35. Which are true of K strategists?
I Early sexual maturity
II High competitive ability
III Live in a stable environment
IV Short gestation period
A. I and II B. I and IV
C. II and III D. III and IV
36. Energy flow from producers to herbivores
decreases because of the following factors
except
A. herbivores consume a large proportion of
plants.
B. herbivores cannot digest all the organic
compounds ingested.
C. some energy is lost from the system through
cellular respiration.
D. decomposers consume some of the organic
compounds of the producers.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
ANSWERS
1. B 2. D 3. C 4. D 5. C 6. B
7. B 8. C 9. C 10. C 11. D 12. D
13. C 14. D 15. D 16. A 17. C 18. C
19. C 20. C 21. C 22. C 23. C 24. B
25. C 26. A 27. C 28. D 29. C 30. A
31. A 32. D 33. A 34. C 35. C 36. A
37. C 38. D 39. B 40. B 41. A
STPM 2015
STPM 2015
STPM 2014
STPM 2014
STPM 2013
STPM 2013
STPM 2010
STPM 2010
STPM 2006
Q18/STPM 2014 (R)
(a) Compare the survivorship strategies
used by the grasshopper & the tiger. [8]
(b) Explain how density-dependent factors
limit the population size of fish in a small
pond.
[7]
Q18(a)/STPM 2013 (R)
(a) Describe the involvement of organisms in
the phosphorus cycle. [6]
Q19/STPM 2013 (R)
The ecological concepts of biotic potential,
natality, mortality & carrying capacity are
important for maintaining sustainable
population in a particular locality.
(a) Define biotic potential, natality, mortality
& carrying capacity. [4]
(b) Explain how the terms in (a) are
interrelated to balance the population size
in a closed ecosystem. [11]
STPM 2009
(a)(i) Describe the procedure of quadrat
sampling.
[3]
(ii) State three conditions for a reliable
estimate of a population. [3]
(b)(i) Explain the capture-recapture
technique.
[4]
(ii) State the assumptions that need to be
considered for the application of the
capture-recapture technique. [5]
STPM 2008
(a) State the first & second laws of
thermdynamics.
[4]
(b) Using the laws of thermodynamics in
(a), explain how energy could be
transferred in a named ecosystem.
[11]
STPM 2005
(a) Define the concept of carrying capacity & state
the effects of environment on the carrying
capacity of a particular habitat.
[3]
(b)(i) By using a suitable method of sampling an
area, explain how species frequency, species
density & species coverage of trees are
determined in a lowland dipterocarp forest. [6]
(ii) State the advantages & disadvantages of
each of the parameters in (b)(i) above.
[6]
STPM 2004
(a) Sketch a graph showing the survivorship
curves for a population of human beings (K
strategists), a population of oysters (r
strategists) & a population of hydras. [3]
(b) Using the graphs in (a), explain the survival
patterns of the population of humans, oysters &
hydras.
[5]
(c) Describe the adaptation characteristics of
organisms which use K and r strategies to
survive.
[7]
STPM 2003
(a) Describe how climatic & biotic factors
affect the size of a population.
[8]
(b) Describe how the size of the population
of an animal can be determined. [7]
STPM 2002
(a) Give the meaning of biogeochemical
cycle. [5]
(b)Describe the components that could be
found in biogeochemical cycle with
reference to sulphur cycle. [10]
STPM 2001
(a) What is meant by niche & habitat?
[4]
(b) State three types of niche in ecology &
elaborate on each of them.
[11]
STPM 2000
(a) Describe the survivorship concept in the
context of population ecology. [12]
(b) The sea turtle is one of the animals which will
become extinct.
(i) Discuss the possible factors that cause the
animal extinction.
(ii) State the measures to be taken to protect the
animal from extinction.
[13]
