Lecture 14

Question 1

What is the main difference between food chains and food webs?
A) Food chains show the flow of energy, while food webs reflect complex interactions and relationships.
B) Food webs are simpler than food chains.
C) Food chains are exclusively terrestrial, while food webs are aquatic.
D) There is no difference; they are synonymous terms.

Answer 1

A) Food chains show the flow of energy, while food webs reflect complex interactions and relationships.

Question 2

Which of the following best describes trophic levels in an ecosystem?
A) The different types of vegetation in an area.
B) Levels of soil and sediment.
C) The hierarchical levels in a food chain based on energy flow.
D) The classification of water bodies.

Answer 2

C) The hierarchical levels in a food chain based on energy flow.

Question 3

Why is energy transfer in food chains not 100% efficient?
A) Because predators consume all available energy.
B) Due to the loss of energy at each trophic level, typically as heat.
C) All energy is transferred to the top predator.
D) Energy transfer is actually 100% efficient in food chains.

Answer 3

B) Due to the loss of energy at each trophic level, typically as heat.

Question 4

What role do keystone species play in an ecosystem?
A) They have minimal impact on the ecosystem.
B) They have a disproportionate impact on their environment.
C) They are only found at the top of the food chain.
D) They are the primary producers in any food web.

Answer 4

B) They have a disproportionate impact on their environment.

Question 5

How does individual flexibility impact a food web?
A) It reduces the number of nodes and links in the model.
B) It has no significant impact.
C) It makes the web more complicated to construct, adding more nodes and links.
D) It simplifies the food web structure.

Answer 5

C) It makes the web more complicated to construct, adding more nodes and links.