Biology · Environmental Studies

Ecosystem Nutrition and Energy Flow

1,235 Questions

Ecosystem nutrition and energy flow questions cover trophic levels, food chains, and biodegradable materials. These concepts frequently appear in general science sections of major competitive exams. Review these questions to build a solid understanding of ecological interactions.

Trophic levels conceptFood chain orderAutotrophic nutritionEnergy assimilationScavengers and decomposers

Ecosystem Nutrition and Energy Flow Questions

Multiple choice respiration-the energy producing system experiments on photosynthesis cellular respiration introduction to respiration

The respiratory loss of producers, herbivores and carnivores are respectively

  1. 105, 20%,30%

  2. 20%, 30%, 60%

  3. 20%, 40%, 80%

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The amount of energy and biomass in the producers of the food chain is 100%. At each successive level, the energy and biomass are lost. The organisms at each level use energy for respiration. This is called respiration loss. When producers are eaten by the herbivores, there is 20% respiratory loss as producers use about 20% of energy in the form of respiration. Similarly, when herbivores are eaten by carnivores, there is 30% respiratory loss as 30% of energy is used by herbivores. Also, about 60% of the energy is used by carnivores during respiration. Hence, respiratory loss from carnivores to decomposer is 60%. 

Thus, the correct answer is '20%, 30%, 60%'.

Multiple choice evs deficiency diseases need for nutrients nutrients needed by the body balanced diet and malnutrition food for health nutrition and its deficiency nutrition and its need

Organisms, obtain energy from sunlight and make organic matter from inorganic substance, known as _____________________.

  1. Heterotrophs

  2. Autotrophs

  3. Consumers

  4. Decomposers
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Autotrophs are organisms that produce their own food using sunlight (photosynthesis) or chemical energy, converting inorganic substances into organic matter.

Multiple choice botany plant breeding plant breeding for disease resistance and insect resistance method of plant breeding for crop improvement plant breeding for food production

Cattle feed should contain 

  1. roughage

  2. concentrate

  3. both of these

  4. none of these.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Cattle diet varies from one period to another period. Generally the diet of cattle includes 15-10% of roughage and rest of them includes concentrate and other materials.

Multiple choice botany why classification? modern classification system traditional method of animal classification salient features of five kingdoms classification hierarchy hierarchy of classification

Algae, green plants and photosynthetic bacteria are:

  1. Autotrophic organisms

  2. Heterotrophic

  3. Decomposers

  4. Consumers
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Autotrophic organisms are those that can produce their own food using light (photosynthesis) or chemical energy.

Multiple choice botany micro - organism fungi: benefits and harmful effects useful and harmful fungi uses of fungi

The importance of fungi in food web lies in the fact that

  1. They are photoautotrophs.

  2. They have prokaryotic cell structure.

  3. They serve as key decomposers of dead organic matter.

  4. They generate antibiotics that kill competing plants and animals.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
  • Fungus are an important part of the saprophytic food chain.
  • They decompose the organic waste left by other animals and convert it into inorganic components that can be again absorbed by the plants ie the organisms of the first trophic level of the food chain and enter the food chain again.
  • So, the correct answer is 'They serve as key decomposers of dead organic matter'.
Multiple choice zoology variation examples of natural selection selection natural selection

Read the passage and answer the following question.

A total of 12 bird species having distinct diets, behavior, coloration and beak shapes inhabit a large volcanic island in the South Atlantic 500 miles from the Coast of Africa not found on the mainland. Two species are flightless herbivores. A bird found on the mainland is related to these bird species but it does not fly over water but can occasionally survive at sea in a storm. There are no reptiles, mammals or amphibians on the island, although there are many insect and plant species.

Two of the bird species on the island are herbivores that both inhabit the same species of tree and eat the fruit the tree produces year-round. Which of the following helps both species to inhabit the tree without competing for resources?

  1. One species lives in the top 30 percent of the tree and the other species lives in the lower 70 percent.

  2. One species is nocturnal and the other is active during the day.

  3. Reproductive isolation exists.

  4. The species have differing beak shapes.

  5. One species must become extinct.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This phenomenon is called Resource partitioning. When the resources in a niche are limited, so as to avoid the competition species divide the resources accordingly.

According to R* rule of limited resources of ecology, If two species are living in a resource limiting space, the species which can survive in the lowest equilibrium of resource will only resist the extinction. Coexistence is only possible if each species have the low R* on that resource.
So, the answer is 'One species lives in the top 30 percent of the tree and the other species lives in the lower 70 percent'.

Multiple choice biology water absorption and ascent of sap in plants transport of water across plants habit of plants plant classifications

A secondary compounds is not a part of the plants

  1. Defense against herbivores

  2. Normal metabolism

  3. Evolution

  4. embryology
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Secondary compounds are complex chemicals made by plants that are not essential to the life of the plant. They are thought to be produced primarily as pesticides and anti-grazing agents, but they also used as pigments, hormones and chemical agents that can attack other plants.

So, the correct option is 'Defense against herbivores'.

Multiple choice evs digestion of food diseases caused by changes in lifestyle nutrition deficiency diseases study of ecological pyramids

The energy and biomass relationship between the organisms at different trophic levels can better expressed by.

  1. Food chain

  2. Food web

  3. Ecological pyramids

  4. Energy cycle
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
An ecological pyramid (also trophic pyramid, eltonian pyramid, energy pyramid, or sometimes food pyramid) is a graphical representation designed to show the biomass or bio productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem. Biomass pyramids show how much biomass (the amount of living or organic matter present in an organism) is present in the organisms at each trophic level, while productivity pyramids show the procreation or turnover in biomass. There is also pyramid of numbers which represent the number of organisms in each trophic level. They may be upright (e.g. Grassland ecosystem), inverted (parasitic ecosystem) or dumbbell shaped (forest ecosystem). Energy pyramids begin with producers on the bottom (such as plants) and proceed through the various trophic levels (such as herbivores that eat plants, then carnivores that eat flesh, then omnivores that eat both plants and flesh, and so on). The highest level is the top of the food chain.
So the correct option is 'ecological pyramid'.
Multiple choice evs digestion of food diseases caused by changes in lifestyle nutrition deficiency diseases study of ecological pyramids

The concept of ecological pyramids was proposed by 

  1. Elton

  2. Odum

  3. Darwin

  4. Clement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A (elton) is the correct answer.

Elton proposed the concept of ecological pyramids Ecological pyramid is a graphical representation that shows the biomass at each trophic level. Odum is the father of modern ecology. Clements proposed the theory of plant succession. darwin proposed the theory of biological evolution by natural selection.

Multiple choice evs digestion of food diseases caused by changes in lifestyle nutrition deficiency diseases study of ecological pyramids

When peacock eats snakes which eats insects thriving on green plants, the peacock is

  1. A primary consumer

  2. A primary decomposer

  3. Final decomposer

  4. The apex of food pyramid
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In the given food chain peacock is the ultimate consumer. It will be located at the apex of the food pyramid. 

Green plants will be producers. 
Insects feeding on green plants will be herbivores or primary consumers. Snakes will be primary carnivores or secondary consumers and peacock will be a secondary carnivore or a tertiary consumer. Thus, the correct answer is option D.

Multiple choice evs digestion of food diseases caused by changes in lifestyle nutrition deficiency diseases study of ecological pyramids

In the food and energy pyramid, the sequence-from base upwards is?

  1. Aquatic insects-fishes-flowering plants-trees

  2. Primitive animals-higher animals-man who plants and animals-carnivorous animals

  3. Plants animals that eat plants animals that eat plants and animals-carnivorous animals

  4. Aquatic plants-terrestrial plants carnivorous animals-large trees man
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer