AP Biology : Understanding Food Webs
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Biology
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Example Questions
Example Question #21 : Ecology
Which of the following statements best describes the function of decomposers?
All of these
Fungi and bacteria are common decomposers
They break down decaying organisms
They perform the process of decomposition
All of these
Decomposers are organisms that break down decaying organisms, thereby performing the process of decomposition. Common examples of decomposers include species of bacteria and fungi.
Example Question #22 : Ecology
Carnivores can occupy which of the following places in the food chain?
Decomposer
Secondary consumer
Primary consumer
Primary producer
Secondary consumer
Carnivores are organisms that consume meat—animal tissue—as a part of their diet; therefore, on the food chain, carnivores may occupy the secondary, tertiary, or quaternary consumer levels.
Example Question #21 : Understanding Food Webs
Recycling is an important component of a functioning ecosystem. Which of the following is an example of nutrient recycling?
Decomposition
Carbon cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Water cycle
Decomposition
Nutrient recycling specifically refers to the movement of materials within food webs and ecosystems that recycle them back into production. Nutrient recycling can be distinguished from biogeochemical cycles, like the water, nitrogen, and carbon cycles, which describe the exchange of matter through living and non-living components of the Earth.
Example Question #21 : Understanding Food Webs
Which of the following terms is used to describe the different levels of a food chain?
Trophic levels
Biomass
Biodiversity
Community
Trophic levels
Trophic level is the term used to a specific point on the food chain. An organism’s trophic level is the place they occupy in the food chain of a particular ecosystem.
Example Question #22 : Understanding Food Webs
Which of the following best represents a component of biodiversity?
Ecosystem variation
All of these
Genetic variation across the planet
Variety of organisms in an ecosystem
All of these
Biodiversity refers to the different types of life present on Earth. This can refer to the variety of species in an ecosystem, the genetic variation across the planet, and ecosystem variation.
Example Question #23 : Ecology
Which of the following could be included in the diet of an omnivore?
Fungi
All of these
Plant tissue
Animal tissue
All of these
Omnivores are organisms that have a diet that includes of the ingestion of both plant and animal tissues. They have also been known to ingest bacteria and fungi.
Example Question #22 : Understanding Food Webs
Which of the following best explains how decomposition occurs?
Enzymatic breakdown of tissue
Dissolution of tissues into water
All of these
Physical breakdown of tissue into smaller pieces to increase exposed surface area
All of these
Decomposition has been classified into the following three types: leaching, fragmentation, and chemical breakdown. Leaching is described as the flow of water through tissue, allowing it to be dissolved by the water solvent. Fragmentation is the physical breakdown of tissue to increase surface area exposure to microbes. Finally, chemical breakdown is defined as an enzymatic digestion of tissue.
Example Question #24 : Ecology
Which of the following best describes what the food web represents within an ecosystem?
None of these
Cycle of nitrogen through an ecosystem
Interconnected food chains
Geochemical recycling
Interconnected food chains
The food web presents a graphical representation of the interconnected food chains within an ecosystem. In other words, food chains illustrate the trophic levels of a particular ecosystem.
Example Question #23 : Understanding Food Webs
Which of the following best explains the difference between a detritivore and a decomposer?
Decomposers ingest decomposing tissue while detritivores break it down
Decomposers break down plant material while detritivores break down animal tissue
Detritivores ingest decomposing tissue while decomposers break it down
Detritivores break down plant material while decomposers break down animal tissue
Detritivores ingest decomposing tissue while decomposers break it down
Both detritivores and decomposers play important roles in the food chain and energy exchanges within an ecosystem. Detritivores consume decomposing plant and animal tissue (i.e. vultures). Decomposers break down decomposing tissue using biochemical reactions rather than ingestion (i.e. fungi).
Example Question #24 : Understanding Food Webs
A certain species of mite lives on the back of a species of frog. The mite feeds on the mucous produced by the frog as a source of food. The frog is not harmed by the mite in any way and the mite benefits because a food source is constantly available. What type of relationship is this between the two organisms, the frog and the mite?
Communalism
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
Symbiosis
Commensalism
The relationship that is occurring between the frog and the mite is known as commensalism because although the mite is benefitting from the frog, the frog is neither harmed or benefitting. Commensalism occurs when one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed or helped in any way. Parasitism benefits one organism at the expense of another. Mutualism benefits both organisms. Symbiosis is the general term for a specific interaction between species.
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