Ecology & the Environment Quiz

Question 1

What is an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and their environment

Answer

A system of rivers and lakes

Answer

A type of biome

Answer

A system for recycling waste

Question 2

What is a 'food chain'?

Accepted Answer

A diagram showing who eats whom in an ecosystem

Answer

A supermarket supply system

Answer

The process of photosynthesis

Answer

A type of ecological network

Question 3

What is a 'producer' in a food chain?

Accepted Answer

An organism (usually a plant) that produces food via photosynthesis

Answer

An animal that produces young

Answer

A factory that produces animal food

Answer

A top predator

Question 4

What is 'biodiversity'?

Accepted Answer

The variety of life in an area — species, genetic, and ecosystem diversity

Answer

The variety of biomes on Earth

Answer

The total number of species on Earth

Answer

The number of different habitats in a region

Question 5

What is the greenhouse effect?

Accepted Answer

The warming of Earth's surface as greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun

Answer

The effect of growing plants in greenhouses

Answer

The cooling of the atmosphere

Answer

The depletion of the ozone layer

Question 6

What are the three main greenhouse gases produced by human activity?

Accepted Answer

CO₂, methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O)

Answer

Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen

Answer

CO₂, ozone, oxygen

Answer

Methane, chlorine, argon

Question 7

What is 'deforestation' and why is it a concern?

Accepted Answer

Clearing forests, which reduces carbon storage, biodiversity, and ecosystem services

Answer

Planting new forests

Answer

The natural death of old trees

Answer

Treating trees for disease

Question 8

What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

Accepted Answer

A food chain is a single linear sequence; a food web shows all interconnected food chains in an ecosystem

Answer

Food webs are smaller

Answer

They are the same thing

Answer

A food web only includes plants

Question 9

What is a 'keystone species'?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

The most numerous species in an ecosystem

Answer

The largest predator in an ecosystem

Answer

The species at the top of the food chain

Question 10

What is the ozone layer and why is it important?

Accepted Answer

A layer of O₃ in the stratosphere that protects Earth from harmful UV radiation

Answer

A layer of water vapour that keeps Earth warm

Answer

The outermost layer of the atmosphere

Answer

A layer of carbon dioxide above the clouds

Question 11

What is 'biomagnification'?

Accepted Answer

The increase in concentration of a pollutant as it moves up the food chain

Answer

Magnifying cells under a microscope

Answer

The expansion of ecosystems

Answer

The growth of microorganisms in polluted water

Question 12

What is the carbon cycle?

Accepted Answer

The process by which carbon is exchanged between atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, and geosphere

Answer

The burning of fossil fuels

Answer

The production of CO₂ by living organisms

Answer

The capture of carbon in power stations

Question 13

What is a 'biome'?

Accepted Answer

A large geographical area characterised by a distinct climate and community of organisms

Answer

A single ecosystem

Answer

The total life on Earth

Answer

An underground ecological system

Question 14

What is 'eutrophication'?

Accepted Answer

Excessive nutrient enrichment of a water body causing algal blooms and oxygen depletion

Answer

The natural aging of a lake

Answer

The purification of polluted water

Answer

The formation of new ecosystems in water

Question 15

What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

They break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem

Answer

They produce food via photosynthesis

Answer

They consume plants and animals

Answer

They purify water

Question 16

Which gas do plants absorb during photosynthesis?

Accepted Answer

Carbon dioxide

Answer

Oxygen

Answer

Nitrogen

Answer

Hydrogen

Question 17

What is an 'invasive species'?

Accepted Answer

A non-native species introduced to a new area that causes harm

Answer

A native species that becomes too numerous

Answer

A species protected by law

Answer

A predator that invades another's territory

Question 18

What is 'sustainable development'?

Accepted Answer

Development that meets present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs

Answer

Development that uses all available resources

Answer

Economic development without environmental regulation

Answer

Development in less wealthy countries

Question 19

What percentage of Earth's species are estimated to live in tropical rainforests?

Accepted Answer

50%

Answer

10%

Answer

25%

Answer

75%

Question 20

Which human activity is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally?

Accepted Answer

Energy production from fossil fuels

Answer

Deforestation

Answer

Transport (cars and planes)

Answer

Agriculture