Community Ecology: Interactions and Dynamics in Biological Communities

Question 1

Which biological interaction involves one species benefiting and the other being harmed?

Accepted Answer

Predation

Answer

Competition

Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Commensalism

Question 2

Provide an example of a mutualistic relationship.

Accepted Answer

Pollinating bees and flowering plants

Answer

Lions and zebras

Answer

Parasitic wasps and their hosts

Answer

Predatory wolves and their prey

Question 3

Identify an example of a threatened community.

Accepted Answer

A coral reef with extensive bleaching

Answer

A rainforest with high species diversity

Answer

A grassland with a stable predator-prey balance

Answer

A desert with low species richness

Question 4

Which of the following is a type of competition in which organisms exploit shared resources?

Accepted Answer

Exploitation competition

Answer

Apparent competition

Answer

Interference competition

Answer

Predation

Question 5

What is the primary mechanism by which predators regulate the population size of their prey?

Accepted Answer

Prey mortality

Answer

Prey reproduction

Answer

Prey habitat alteration

Answer

Prey behavior modification

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of mutualistic interactions?

Accepted Answer

Increased predation risk

Answer

Increased resource acquisition

Answer

Reduced competition

Answer

Enhanced survival

Question 7

What is the primary factor that determines the distribution and abundance of species within a community?

Accepted Answer

Resource availability

Answer

Competition

Answer

Predation

Answer

Historical factors

Question 8

Which of the following characteristics defines a keystone species?

Accepted Answer

Disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem

Answer

Abundance and wide distribution

Answer

Top position in the food chain

Answer

Endangered status

Question 9

In a predator-prey relationship, which species benefits directly from the interaction?

Accepted Answer

Predator

Answer

Prey

Answer

Both

Answer

Neither

Question 10

Which of the following factors does NOT affect community structure?

Accepted Answer

Species richness

Answer

Environmental conditions

Answer

Resource availability

Answer

Interspecific interactions

Question 11

In a mutualistic relationship, both species involved:

Accepted Answer

Benefit from the interaction

Answer

Are harmed by the interaction

Answer

Neither benefits nor is harmed

Answer

One benefits and the other is harmed

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of resource partitioning?

Accepted Answer

Two species of birds eating different types of seeds

Answer

Two species of deer living in different parts of a forest

Answer

Two species of bacteria competing for the same nutrient

Answer

Two species of ants forming a symbiotic relationship

Question 13

What is the role of Keystone species in a community?

Accepted Answer

They have a disproportionately large impact on the community relative to their abundance

Answer

They are the most abundant species in the community

Answer

They are the only species that can consume a particular resource

Answer

They are the top predators in the community

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of a climax community?

Accepted Answer

A forest

Answer

A meadow

Answer

A desert

Answer

A coral reef

Question 15

Lions hunting zebras is an example of which type of species interaction?

Accepted Answer

Predation

Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Parasitism

Answer

Neutralism

Question 16

Which of the following is not classified as an interspecific interaction in community ecology?

Accepted Answer

Migration

Answer

Competition

Answer

Predation

Answer

Mutualism

Question 17

What is the term for the type of interaction where one species benefits while the other remains unaffected?

Accepted Answer

Commensalism

Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Amensalism

Answer

Parasitism

Question 18

What concept refers to the maximum population size that a given environment can support?

Accepted Answer

Carrying capacity

Answer

Population density

Answer

Environmental resistance

Answer

Carrying potential

Question 19

Which of the following species exemplifies the role of a keystone species in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

Sea otter

Answer

Polar bear

Answer

African elephant

Answer

Monarch butterfly

Question 20

What concept measures the evenness of species distribution in a community?

Accepted Answer

Equitability index

Answer

Species richness

Answer

Simpson's diversity index

Answer

Berger-Parker dominance index

Question 21

Which term refers to the scientific discipline that investigates the interactions between organisms and their surroundings?

Accepted Answer

Ecology

Answer

Environmental science

Answer

Conservation biology

Answer

Evolutionary biology

Question 22

Which type of species interaction occurs when one species benefits at the expense of another?

Accepted Answer

Predation

Answer

Competition

Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Commensalism

Question 23

The act of a predator capturing and consuming its prey is termed:

Accepted Answer

Predation

Answer

Exploitation

Answer

Competition

Answer

Symbiosis

Question 24

Which factor does NOT influence the outcome of competition between two species?

Accepted Answer

Genetic diversity

Answer

Resource availability

Answer

Habitat overlap

Answer

Body size

Question 25

A relationship where both species derive benefits from the interaction is known as:

Accepted Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Commensalism

Answer

Parasitism

Answer

Amensalism

Question 26

In community ecology, which type of interaction is NOT studied?

Accepted Answer

Neutralism

Answer

Competition

Answer

Predation

Answer

Symbiosis

Question 27

Which of the following interactions involves a benefit to both species?

Accepted Answer

Cleaning symbiosis between a shrimp and a sea anemone

Answer

Competition between two plant species for sunlight

Answer

Predation of a deer by a wolf

Answer

Parasitism of a host organism by a tapeworm

Question 28

A community where a single species dominates is known as a:

Accepted Answer

Monoculture

Answer

Successional community

Answer

Climax community

Answer

Pioneer community

Question 29

The concept of ecological succession describes:

Accepted Answer

The gradual change in species composition over time in a given area

Answer

The process of natural selection leading to the evolution of new species

Answer

The movement of individuals between different communities

Answer

The interaction between species in a community

Question 30

Which of the following scenarios illustrates a mutualistic interaction between species?

Accepted Answer

A bee pollinating a flowering plant

Answer

A predator hunting and eating its prey

Answer

Two plants competing for sunlight

Question 31

What is the term for a relationship between two species where one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor benefited?

Accepted Answer

Commensalism

Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Parasitism

Answer

Symbiosis

Question 32

Which of the following is an example of a keystone species?

Accepted Answer

Sea otter

Answer

Blue whale

Answer

Polar bear

Answer

Elephant

Question 33

What is the process by which different species evolve to occupy different niches in the same habitat?

Accepted Answer

Resource partitioning

Answer

Competitive exclusion

Answer

Speciation

Answer

Mutualism

Question 34

What is the term for a group of populations of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed?

Accepted Answer

Metapopulation

Answer

Community

Answer

Ecosystem

Answer

Population

Question 35

What is the term for the maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support?

Accepted Answer

Carrying capacity

Answer

Population density

Answer

Growth rate

Answer

Immigration rate

Question 36

Which factor plays a primary role in determining the number of species in a community?

Accepted Answer

Resource availability

Answer

Geographic location

Answer

Predation

Answer

Climate

Question 37

What type of symbiotic relationship involves one species benefiting while the other remains unaffected?

Accepted Answer

Commensalism

Answer

Competition

Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Predation

Question 38

Which species holds a disproportionate influence on an ecosystem despite its abundance?

Accepted Answer

Sea otter

Answer

Dolphin

Answer

Shark

Answer

Tiger

Question 39

What refers to the distribution of species' roles within a community to minimize competition?

Accepted Answer

Resource partitioning

Answer

Competitive exclusion

Answer

Community assembly

Answer

Biodiversity

Question 40

Which essential characteristic describes ecological communities?

Accepted Answer

Dynamic and constantly changing

Answer

Isolated and independent

Answer

Static and unchanging

Answer

Predictable and stable

Question 41

What is the principle that states two species with identical resource requirements cannot coexist in a community?

Accepted Answer

Competitive exclusion

Answer

Species compete for different resources and avoid competition.

Answer

Competition is always intense and results in the extinction of weaker species.

Question 42

Which graphical representation depicts the distribution of species' abundance within a community?

Accepted Answer

Species abundance curve

Answer

Trophic pyramid

Answer

Diversity index

Answer

Dominance curve

Question 43

Which of the following factors that influence community structure is NOT an abiotic factor?

Accepted Answer

Competition

Answer

Temperature

Answer

Nutrient availability

Answer

Rainfall

Question 44

**The type of symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits from another without causing any harm is called:**

Accepted Answer

Commensalism

Answer

Parasitism

Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Amensalism

Question 45

**Which of the following species is an example of a keystone species?**

Accepted Answer

Sea otter

Answer

Grizzly bear

Answer

African elephant

Answer

Blue whale

Question 46

**The evolutionary process by which species reduce competition with each other is known as:**

Accepted Answer

Character displacement

Answer

Predator-prey coevolution

Answer

Resource partitioning

Answer

Competitive exclusion

Question 47

**Which of the following is NOT an observed consequence of competition between species?**

Accepted Answer

Increased genetic diversity

Answer

Morphological divergence

Answer

Habitat segregation

Answer

Reduced fitness

Question 48

**The term 'trophic cascade' refers to:**

Accepted Answer

The indirect effects of top predators on lower trophic levels.

Answer

The direct effects of predators on their prey.

Answer

The positive feedback loop between predators and prey.

Question 49

**Habitat fragmentation describes the process of:**

Accepted Answer

Breaking up a habitat into smaller, isolated patches.

Answer

Completely destroying a habitat, removing all traces of it.

Answer

Increasing the size of a habitat due to human activities.

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT a type of interaction that can occur between species in a community?

Accepted Answer

Dispersal

Answer

Competition

Answer

Amensalism

Answer

Mutualism

Question 51

What is the term for the maximum number of individuals of a species that can be supported by a given environment and its resources?

Accepted Answer

Carrying capacity

Answer

Birth rate

Answer

Mortality rate

Answer

Population density

Question 52

Which of the following factors is most likely to lead to competition between two species?

Accepted Answer

Overlap in resource use

Answer

High population density

Answer

Low genetic diversity

Answer

Different habitat preferences

Question 53

What is the term for a species that benefits from the presence of another species without harming or benefiting it?

Accepted Answer

Commensalism

Answer

Mutualism

Answer

Amensalism

Answer

Parasitism

Question 54

Which of the following is a primary producer in a food web?

Accepted Answer

Plant

Answer

Fungus

Answer

Bacteria

Answer

Animal

Question 55

What is the term for a community of organisms that live together in a defined area and interact with each other?

Accepted Answer

Biotic community

Answer

Habitat

Answer

Ecosystem

Answer

Population

Question 56

What is the term for the process by which two or more species evolve in response to the selective pressures imposed by their interactions?

Accepted Answer

Coevolution

Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Symbiosis

Answer

Extinction

Question 57

Which of the following is an example of a keystone species?

Accepted Answer

A species that has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem relative to its abundance.

Answer

A species that is a primary producer.

Answer

A species that is highly specialized in its niche.

Answer

A species that is at the top of the food chain.