A.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The scarlet cup fungus (Sarcoscypha coccinea) obtains its nutrition from decaying wood by
releasing digestive enzymes into the wood and absorbing the digested products.

I. Autotroph

II. Heterotroph

III. Saprotroph

A. III only

B. II and III only

C. I and III only

D. I, II and III

2. Why do food chains in an ecosystem rarely contain more than five organisms?

A. Nutrients are recycled by the decomposers back to the producers.

B. Nutrients are lost from the ecosystem when organisms die.

C. The conversion of food into growth by an organism is not very efficient.

D. Energy is recycled by the decomposers back to the producers.

3. What are examples of greenhouse gases?

A. Ethane and ozone

B. Methane and nitrogen

C. Methane and carbon dioxide

D. Ethane and oxygen

4. Which gas will enhance the greenhouse effect if released into the atmosphere?

A. Hydrogen

B. Oxide of nitrogen

C. Oxygen

D. Nitrogen
5.

Which organism in this food web is both a secondary and tertiary consumer?

A. Large crab

B. Small herbivorous fish

C. Shark

D. Microscopic planktonic algae

6. Which represents a correct food chain from this web?

A. stickleback → midge larva → unicellular algae

B. ciliates → Daphnia → stickleback → dragonfly nymph

C. diatom → midge larva → caddisfly larva → stickleback

D. filamentous algae → mayfly nymph → leech → stickleback

7. Which pair of statements is correct?

8.

Answers:

1. B
2. C
3. C
4. B
5. A
6. C
7. A

B. Short Questions:

1. Explain the shape of the pyramids of energy that are constructed by ecologists to represent
energy flow in an ecosystem. Include a diagram of an energy pyramid with the tropic levels
labelled. (3)

2. Describe the relationship between rises in concentration of atmospheric gases and the enhanced
greenhouse effect. (8)

3. Describe what is meant by a food chain (2)

Answers:

1. energy flows up from one trophic level to the next (in a community);
energy is lost at each stage by waste products/faeces/not all the organism is consumed;
most energy is lost through respiration/heat;

each level on the pyramid is about 10% – 20% of the size of the one below it / 80% –
90% energy lost between levels;
labelled diagram of pyramid of energy (indicating trophic levels);
2. a. food chain shows feeding/trophic relationships;

b. showing which organism/animal eats which organism;

c. showing the flow of energy from producer/autotroph to top consumer/top carnivore /

through trophic levels;

3.