Environment and Ecosystem

1. What is the primary function of decomposers like bacteria and fungi in the nutrient cycle of an ecosystem?

• A) To serve as food for tertiary consumers
• B) To convert solar energy into chemical energy
• C) To control the population of producers
• D) To break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil and air for producers

2. What are the two main components that make up an ecosystem?

• A) Plants and Animals
• B) Abiotic and Biotic
• C) Land and Water
• D) Producers and Consumers

3. What is formed when more than one food chain remains attached to each other in an ecosystem?

• A) An energy pyramid
• B) A food web
• C) A trophic level
• D) A biotic community

4. In the Sundarbans ecosystem, why do the branch roots of plants grow erect with numerous spores on their tips?

• A) To absorb more sunlight for photosynthesis
• B) To allow atmospheric oxygen to enter for respiration
• C) To anchor the plant more firmly in the muddy soil
• D) To store excess water during high tide

5. How does the flow of energy differ from the movement of nutritive substances within an ecosystem?

• A) Energy flows circularly, while nutrients flow linearly.
• B) Both energy and nutrients flow in a linear path.
• C) Energy flows linearly, while nutrients move in a circular path.
• D) Both energy and nutrients move in a circular path.

6. Based on the principles of ecological balance described, what would likely happen to a tiger population if its primary food sources, deer and hogs, were to significantly decrease?

• A) The tiger population would increase.
• B) The tiger population would remain stable.
• C) The tiger population would also decrease.
• D) The tigers would start eating plants.

7. Animals that consume plants or plant parts are known as primary consumers. What is another term for them?

• A) Carnivores
• B) Decomposers
• C) Omnivores
• D) Herbivores