Biology · Environmental Studies

Ecosystem Nutrition and Energy Flow

1,093 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 biology digestion and absorption minerals and vitamins nutrition and diet role of various nutrients

For the digestion of cellulose, an enzyme called cellulase is required. Some mammals lodge cellulase producing bacteria in their digestive system by offering them food and shelter. These mammals are mostly________

  1. Herbivores

  2. Carnivores

  3. Omnivores

  4. Sanguivores
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
Herbivores are plant eating animals. Plants have cellulose that need an enzyme called cellulase for its digestion. Herbivores lodge have a microbial flora are obligate or facultative anaerobes that can decompose complex plant material, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, starch, and proteins. The hydrolysis of cellulose results in sugars, which are further fermented to acetate, lactate, propionate, butyrate, carbon dioxide, and methane.
So, the correct answer is 'Herbivores'.
Multiple choice biology respiration in plants fermentation cell respiration living organisms and energy production

Sometimes, higher plants and animals too perform anaerobic respiration.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

(i). Respiration is an energy yielding process and takes place by the oxidation of foodstuffs.
(ii) Higher plants and animals require oxygen in order to respire aerobically.
(iii) However, in conditions where oxygen is depleted, these organisms perform anaerobic respiration to obtain energy.

(iv). Glucose is incompletely oxidized and a comparatively lesser amount of energy is obtained through anaerobic respiration. The anaerobic respiration mainly takes place during strenuous exercise when there is shortage of oxygen, which leads to production of lactic acid in muscles.

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany plant taxonomy taxonomy and systematics classification of biodiversity

The accumulation of non-biodegradable substances in a food chain in increasing amount at each higher trophic level is known as _____________.

  1. Accumulation

  2. Eutrophication

  3. Pollution

  4. Bio magnification
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The increase in concentration of non-biodegradable substance with subsequent trophic level of a food chain is called bio-magnification.

Multiple choice botany adaptations to different ecosystems lichen lichens lichens ( the nature's pioneers )

Which of the following statement is wrong about lichens?

  1. Some species are eaten by Reindeers.

  2. Lichens are indicators of pollution.

  3. They grow rapidly about 2 cm per day.

  4. They have symbiotic relationship between alga and fungus.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Lichens are known for their extremely slow growth rates, often growing only a few millimeters per year, not 2 cm per day.

Multiple choice botany adaptations to different ecosystems lichen lichens lichens ( the nature's pioneers )

Which statements is wrong about lichens?

  1. Some species are eaten by reindeers

  2. Lichens are indicators of pollutions

  3. They grow rapidly about 2 cm per day

  4. They have algal and fungal partners in their thallus
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Lichen is a symbiotic partnership between fungus and alga. It has algal and fungal partners in its thallus. In this, the fungus is a dominant partner. Hence, lichen has majority of characteristics of fungus. It absorbs sulphur dioxide from the atmosphere. Hence, it is widely used as indicator of air pollution. It grows very slowly.  It is eaten by snails, squirrels and some species of monkeys and reindeers during winter. They grow at 1 mm per day.

Thus, the correct answer is 'They grow rapidly about 2 cm per day.'

Multiple choice botany living world lichen lichens lichens ( the nature's pioneers )

Which of the following are functions of phycobiont in a lichen?

  1. Synthesis of organic food

  2. Nitrogen fixation

  3. Mineral absorbtion

  4. Both A and B
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

a) The phycobiont part of lichen is the autotrophic part which constitutes algae. The function of autotrophic algae is to provide nutrition. It synthesizes organic food by the process of photosynthesis.
b) If the algal component is blue-green algae, then apart from photosynthesis phycobionts also carry out nitrogen fixation. Nostoc, blue-green algae consist of heterocysts that have the enzyme nitrogenase. Nitrogenase converts atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form of nitrogen.

c) Mineral absorption is done by fungal mycelium.
So the correct answer is ' Synthesis of organic food and NItrogen fixation'.

Multiple choice biology digestion and absorption liver functions of the liver secretory organs

The liver of carnivore is larger than the herbivore because in carnivores

  1. Their body is also big

  2. The diet contains much more proteins so liver has to do more work

  3. The problem of phagocytosis by Kupffer cells are more

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

Animal flesh is composed of the most highly complex type of protein and requires vast amounts of uric acid to process. Uric acid is released into the system in amounts necessary to break proteins down into amino acids. Uric acid is a toxic substance and must be flushed out by the liver. Hence the carnivore's liver is designed with the capacity to eliminate ten times as much uric acid as the liver of man or other plant eaters. 

Multiple choice

What eats dead animals and plants?

  1. Animals

  2. Plants

  3. Humans

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

Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Multiple choice

What happens to the majority of the carbon animals consume?

  1. Nothing

  2. Released as carbon dioxide

  3. It goes back the plants

  4. Kills the animal
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Most of the carbon consumed by animals is used for energy through cellular respiration, which releases the carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Multiple choice

Breaking down of plants and animals is known as

  1. Photosynthesis

  2. Decomposition

  3. Cellular Respiration

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

Decomposition is the process by which decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and releasing gases like carbon dioxide.

Multiple choice

What type of organisms remove CO2 from the atmosphere?  

  1. secondary consumers

  2. herbivores

  3. consumers

  4. producers

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Producers, such as plants and algae, perform photosynthesis, which uses carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to create glucose. Consumers and herbivores rely on these producers for energy.

Multiple choice

A substance called glucose provides energy for _____.

  1. animals only

  2. plants only

  3. large animals only

  4. all living things
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Glucose is the universal energy source used by virtually all living organisms, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria, to power cellular activities.

Multiple choice

How do producers make their food?

  1. by light

  2. by eating other producers and consumers

  3. by sound

  4. none of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Producers, such as plants and algae, use light energy from the Sun to synthesize their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Consumers, on the other hand, must eat other organisms to obtain energy.