1. In community ecology, what term describes all the interacting populations of organisms living in a particular area?
A) Biome
B) Ecosystem
C) Community
D) Population
Answer: C) Community
2. Which of the following is an example of a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits while the other is unaffected?
A) Mutualism
B) Parasitism
C) Commensalism
D) Predation
Answer: C) Commensalism
3. What is the term for the role or function of an organism within its community?
A) Niche
B) Habitat
C) Ecosystem
D) Trophic level
Answer: A) Niche
4. Which of the following is NOT a trophic level in a typical ecological pyramid?
A) Producers
B) Primary consumers
C) Tertiary consumers
D) Detritivores
Answer: D) Detritivores
5. In a food chain, which organisms are always at the base?
A) Tertiary consumers
B) Primary consumers
C) Producers
D) Decomposers
Answer: C) Producers
6. What term describes a relationship in which one species benefits while the other is harmed?
A) Mutualism
B) Commensalism
C) Parasitism
D) Predation
Answer: C) Parasitism
7. Which of the following describes the number of different species represented in a community?
A) Species diversity
B) Genetic diversity
C) Ecosystem diversity
D) Habitat diversity
Answer: A) Species diversity
8. Which of the following factors influences species diversity in a community by affecting resource availability?
A) Competition
B) Predation
C) Mutualism
D) Commensalism
Answer: A) Competition
9. Which of the following terms describes a group of species that have similar ecological roles and fill the same niche in their respective communities?
A) Keystone species
B) Indicator species
C) Competitive exclusion
D) Guild
Answer: D) Guild
10. What is the term for a species that has a disproportionate effect on its environment relative to its abundance?
A) Indicator species
B) Keystone species
C) Invasive species
D) Endemic species
Answer: B) Keystone species
11. What term describes the gradual change in species composition of a community over time?
A) Ecological succession
B) Species turnover
C) Biodiversity loss
D) Habitat fragmentation
Answer: A) Ecological succession
12. Which of the following is an example of a pioneer species in primary succession?
A) Mosses
B) Shrubs
C) Grasses
D) Trees
Answer: A) Mosses
13. What is the term for the variety of habitats within a given area?
A) Species diversity
B) Genetic diversity
C) Ecosystem diversity
D) Habitat diversity
Answer: D) Habitat diversity
14. Which of the following factors contributes to the stability of a community?
A) High species diversity
B) Low species diversity
C) High competition
D) Low predation
Answer: A) High species diversity
15. What is the term for a stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species composition?
A) Pioneer community
B) Climax community
C) Primary community
D) Secondary community
Answer: B) Climax community
16. Which of the following is an example of a secondary consumer in a food chain?
A) Grasshopper
B) Hawk
C) Rabbit
D) Snake
Answer: B) Hawk
17. Which of the following is an example of a density-independent factor that can regulate population size in a community?
A) Predation
B) Disease
C) Weather
D) Competition
Answer: C) Weather
18. What term describes the concept that two species cannot occupy the same niche in the same community for an extended period?
A) Competitive exclusion principle
B) Symbiosis
C) Trophic cascade
D) Ecological succession
Answer: A) Competitive exclusion principle
19. Which of the following describes a situation where two species evolve in response to one another, each exerting selective pressures on the other?
A) Coevolution
B) Ecological succession
C) Competitive exclusion
D) Habitat fragmentation
Answer: A) Coevolution
20. What term describes the variety of different alleles within a species?
A) Species diversity
B) Genetic diversity
C) Ecosystem diversity
D) Habitat diversity
Answer: B) Genetic diversity
21. Which of the following statements about mutualism is true?
A) It benefits one species while harming the other.
B) It benefits both species involved.
C) It benefits one species while being unaffected by the other.
D) It benefits neither species involved.
Answer: B) It benefits both species involved.
22. Which of the following factors is most likely to increase species diversity within a community?
A) Increased competition among species
B) Reduced predation pressure
C) Habitat destruction
D) Introduction of invasive species
Answer: B) Reduced predation pressure
23. Which of the following is an example of an ecosystem engineer?
A) Beaver
B) Rabbit
C) Hawk
D) Deer
Answer: A) Beaver
24. Which of the following terms describes the number of individuals per unit area or volume in a population?
A) Density
B) Dispersion
C) Abundance
D) Diversity
Answer: A) Density
25. Which of the following factors can contribute to the fragmentation of habitats within a community?
A) Habitat destruction
B) Habitat restoration
C) Conservation efforts
D) Reduced human activity
Answer: A) Habitat destruction
26. What is the term for the range of physical and biological conditions in which a species can survive and reproduce?
A) Habitat
B) Niche
C) Population
D) Ecosystem
Answer: A) Habitat
27. Which of the following is an example of a density-dependent factor that can regulate population size in a community?
A) Weather
B) Predation
C) Disease
D) Habitat destruction
Answer: C) Disease
28. What term describes the distribution of individuals within a population across a given area?
A) Density
B) Dispersion
C) Abundance
D) Diversity
Answer: B) Dispersion
29. Which of the following factors can contribute to an increase in species diversity within a community?
A) Habitat destruction
B) Climate change
C) Speciation events
D) Reduced competition
Answer: C) Speciation events
30. What term describes a species that is found only in one particular geographic area and nowhere else?
A) Invasive species
B) Endemic species
C) Indicator species
D) Keystone species
Answer: B) Endemic species
31. Which of the following statements about primary succession is true?
A) It occurs on previously inhabited areas.
B) It begins with a well-established community.
C) It is typically faster than secondary succession.
D) It starts with pioneer species colonizing bare rock.
Answer: D) It starts with pioneer species colonizing bare rock.
32. What term describes the process by which a community changes following a disturbance that removes most or all of its species?
A) Primary succession
B) Secondary succession
C) Ecological succession
D) Trophic cascade
Answer: B) Secondary succession