Animal Ecology MCQs
1. What is animal ecology?
a) The study of animals in laboratory settings
b) The study of the relationships between animals and their environment
c) The study of animal behavior
d) The study of animal anatomy
Answer: b) The study of the relationships between animals and their environment
2. Which of the following is NOT a level of ecological organization?
a) Individual
b) Population
c) Community
d) Taxonomy
Answer: d) Taxonomy
3. What is a population in ecology?
a) All animals in a given area
b) A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area
c) All animals that share the same habitat
d) All animals in the world
Answer: b) A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area
4. What is a community in ecology?
a) A group of individuals of different species living together in the same area
b) All the plants in a given area
c) A group of individuals of the same species living together
d) All animals in the world
Answer: a) A group of individuals of different species living together in the same area
5. What is an ecosystem?
a) A group of individuals of different species living together in the same area
b) All animals in a given area
c) A community of organisms and their physical environment
d) A group of individuals of the same species living together
Answer: c) A community of organisms and their physical environment
6. Which of the following is NOT a biotic factor?
a) Plants
b) Soil pH
c) Predators
d) Prey
Answer: b) Soil pH
7. Which of the following is a biotic factor?
a) Temperature
b) Sunlight
c) Soil type
d) Predators
Answer: d) Predators
8. What is an abiotic factor?
a) A factor related to living organisms
b) A factor related to non-living components of an ecosystem
c) A factor related to animal behavior
d) A factor related to animal physiology
Answer: b) A factor related to non-living components of an ecosystem
9. Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor?
a) Predators
b) Temperature
c) Prey
d) Competitors
Answer: b) Temperature
10. Which of the following is NOT a terrestrial biome?
a) Tundra
b) Coral reef
c) Grassland
d) Desert
Answer: b) Coral reef
11. Which of the following is NOT a freshwater biome?
a) Lake
b) River
c) Coral reef
d) Wetland
Answer: c) Coral reef
12. Which of the following is NOT a marine biome?
a) Intertidal zone
b) Abyssal zone
c) Tundra
d) Coral reef
Answer: c) Tundra
13. What is a habitat?
a) The role an organism plays in its ecosystem
b) The specific environment in which an organism lives
c) The interactions between organisms and their environment
d) The study of animal behavior
Answer: b) The specific environment in which an organism lives
14. What is niche partitioning?
a) The process of two species occupying the same niche
b) The process of one species outcompeting another for resources
c) The division of resources among coexisting species to reduce competition
d) The adaptation of a species to a new environment
Answer: c) The division of resources among coexisting species to reduce competition
15. Which of the following is an example of a predator adaptation?
a) Cryptic coloration
b) Camouflage
c) Mimicry
d) Sharp claws and teeth
Answer: d) Sharp claws and teeth
16. Which of the following is an example of a prey adaptation?
a) Speed
b) Camouflage
c) Warning coloration
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
17. What is mimicry?
a) The resemblance of a harmless species to a harmful species
b) The resemblance of a harmful species to a harmless species
c) The act of hunting by predators
d) The act of avoiding predators by prey
Answer: a) The resemblance of a harmless species to a harmful species
18. What is cryptic coloration?
a) Bright coloration to warn predators
b) Blending in with the surroundings to avoid detection
c) Mimicking the appearance of a different species
d) The coloration of prey animals
Answer: b) Blending in with the surroundings to avoid detection
19. What is an example of mutualism?
a) Predator-prey relationship
b) Parasitism
c) Commensalism
d) Pollination by bees and flowers
Answer: d) Pollination by bees and flowers
20. What is commensalism?
a) Both species benefit
b) One species benefits and the other is harmed
c) One species benefits and the other is unaffected
d) Both species are harmed
Answer: c) One species benefits and the other is unaffected
21. What is parasitism?
a) Both species benefit
b) One species benefits and the other is harmed
c) One species benefits and the other is unaffected
d) Both species are harmed
Answer: b) One species benefits and the other is harmed
22. What is a trophic level?
a) A level in the food chain
b) A level in the water column
c) A level in the soil
d) A level in the atmosphere
Answer: a) A level in the food chain
23. What is a producer in an ecosystem?
a) An organism that eats other organisms
b) An organism that makes its own food
c) An organism that decomposes dead organic matter
d) An organism that does not need to eat
Answer: b) An organism that makes its own food
24. What is a primary consumer?
a) An organism that eats plants
b) An organism that eats other animals
c) An organism that decomposes dead organic matter
d) An organism that makes its own food
Answer: a) An organism that eats plants
25. What is a secondary consumer?
a) An organism that eats plants
b) An organism that eats other animals
c) An organism that decomposes dead organic matter
d) An organism that makes its own food
Answer: b) An organism that eats other animals
26. What is a tertiary consumer?
a) An organism that eats plants
b) An organism that eats other animals
c) An organism that decomposes dead organic matter
d) An organism that makes its own food
Answer: b) An organism that eats other animals
27. What is a decomposer?
a) An organism that eats plants
b) An organism that eats other animals
c) An organism that decomposes dead organic matter
d) An organism that makes its own food
Answer: c) An organism that decomposes dead organic matter
28. What is a food chain?
a) A linear sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass
b) A complex network of interactions between organisms in an ecosystem
c) A group of individuals of the same species living together
d) The study of animal behavior
Answer: a) A linear sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass
29. What is a food web?
a) A complex network of interactions between organisms in an ecosystem
b) A linear sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass
c) A group of individuals of the same species living together
d) The study of animal behavior
Answer: a) A complex network of interactions between organisms in an ecosystem
30. What is biomass?
a) The total mass of living organisms in a given area
b) The total mass of non-living matter in a given area
c) The total mass of energy in a given area
d) The total mass of water in a given area
Answer: a) The total mass of living organisms in a given area
31. What is carrying capacity?
a) The maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely
b) The maximum population size that an environment can support temporarily
c) The maximum population size that an environment can support without competition
d) The maximum population size that an environment can support with unlimited resources
Answer: a) The maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely
32. What is the greenhouse effect?
a) The warming of Earth’s surface caused by greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere
b) The cooling of Earth’s surface caused by greenhouse gases reflecting sunlight away from the atmosphere
c) The warming of Earth’s surface caused by greenhouse gases reflecting sunlight back to space
d) The cooling of Earth’s surface caused by greenhouse gases absorbing heat in the atmosphere
Answer: a) The warming of Earth’s surface caused by greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere