1. Which of the following is a biotic component of an ecosystem?
a) Air
b) Water
c) Plants
d) Soil
2. The functional unit of nature, where living organisms interact among themselves and with
their physical environment is called:
a) Community
b) Ecosystem
c) Population
d) Biosphere
3. In an ecosystem, producers are:
a) Herbivores
b) Green plants
c) Carnivores
d) Decomposers
4. Energy flow in an ecosystem is:
a) Bidirectional
b) Multidirectional
c) Unidirectional
d) Cyclic
5. The pyramid of energy is:
a) Always upright
b) Always inverted
c) Sometimes upright
d) Sometimes inverted
6. Which one is an example of a detritivore?
a) Fungi
b) Earthworm
c) Bacteria
d) Algae
7. The rate of biomass production is termed as:
a) Net productivity
b) Secondary productivity
c) Primary productivity
d) Gross productivity
8. GPP – R = ?
a) Primary productivity
b) Secondary productivity
c) Net primary productivity
d) Net productivity
9. The pyramid of biomass is inverted in:
a) Forest ecosystem
b) Desert ecosystem
c) Aquatic ecosystem
d) Grassland ecosystem
10. Which of the following is not a decomposer?
a) Bacteria
b) Fungi
c) Earthworm
d) Algae
11. Which of the following ecosystems has the highest mean net primary productivity?
a) Tropical rainforest
b) Desert
c) Ocean
d) Grassland
12. Secondary productivity refers to:
a) Rate of production of organic matter by consumers
b) Rate of energy conversion by decomposers
c) Rate of biomass production by producers
d) Energy fixed by autotrophs
13. The major reservoir of carbon is:
a) Atmosphere
b) Oceans
c) Fossil fuels
d) Biosphere
14. Decomposition involves all, except:
a) Fragmentation
b) Leaching
c) Humification
d) Photosynthesis
15. Which of the following is the correct sequence in decomposition?
a) Leaching → Catabolism → Humification → Mineralisation
b) Fragmentation → Leaching → Humification → Catabolism
c) Fragmentation → Leaching → Catabolism → Humification → Mineralisation
d) Catabolism → Leaching → Fragmentation → Humification
16. The term “ecosystem” was first used by:
a) Odum
b) Tansley
c) Linnaeus
d) Darwin
17. Stratification is:
a) Vertical distribution of species
b) Horizontal distribution of species
c) Decomposition process
d) Energy flow process
18. Which of the following is not a limiting nutrient in aquatic ecosystems?
a) Nitrogen
b) Sulphur
c) Phosphorus
d) Iron
19. Ecological pyramids represent:
a) Trophic levels
b) Trophic interactions
c) Ecological succession
d) Species diversity
20. The percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next is approximately:
a) 1%
b) 5%
c) 10%
d) 20%
21. Which of the following is an example of primary succession?
a) Forest regrowth after fire
b) Grass growth on abandoned field
c) Lichen growth on bare rock
d) Shrub growth after landslide
22. Which of the following forms the pioneer species in xerarch succession?
a) Mosses
b) Lichens
c) Herbs
d) Shrubs
23. Climax community is:
a) Stable and self-perpetuating
b) Always grassland
c) Early successional stage
d) Without animal population
24. The release of nutrients to soil by decomposers is called:
a) Humification
b) Mineralisation
c) Catabolism
d) Fragmentation
25. Largest man-made ecosystem is:
a) Aquarium
b) Forest
c) Agricultural field
d) Zoo
26. Which gas is produced during anaerobic decomposition?
a) Oxygen
b) Methane
c) Carbon dioxide
d) Nitrogen
27. Which one of the following is not an abiotic component?
a) Temperature
b) Rainfall
c) Humidity
d) Decomposers
28. The inverted pyramid of numbers can be seen in:
a) Grassland
b) Forest
c) Pond
d) Desert
29. Ecological succession occurs due to:
a) Competition
b) External disturbances
c) Climatic changes
d) All of the above
30. Which one of the following is an example of secondary succession?
a) Colonisation of lava
b) Growth in sand dunes
c) Abandoned farm land
d) Coral reef formation
31. Which of the following is the most stable ecosystem?
a) Desert
b) Pond
c) Forest
d) Ocean
32. Which of the following is an edaphic factor?
a) Light
b) Temperature
c) Soil
d) Wind
33. Producers in aquatic ecosystems are mainly:
a) Zooplankton
b) Phytoplankton
c) Algae
d) Protozoa
34. The term "standing crop" refers to:
a) Biomass of decomposers
b) Total biomass of a trophic level at a given time
c) Net primary productivity
d) Consumer biomass
35. Detrivores differ from decomposers in:
a) Consuming dead matter
b) Breaking down organic matter chemically
c) Ingesting and digesting detritus internally
d) Causing decay
36. Net primary productivity is:
a) Energy available to herbivores
b) Total energy captured by producers
c) Respiration losses
d) Energy lost to decomposers
37. One example of a consumer in pond ecosystem is:
a) Phytoplankton
b) Zooplankton
c) Water
d) Algae
38. Who proposed the "Ten Percent Law"?
a) Odum
b) Darwin
c) Lindeman
d) Tansley
39. The climax stage in hydrarch succession is:
a) Marsh
b) Swamp
c) Forest
d) Lake
40. Which ecosystem has the lowest primary productivity?
a) Tropical rainforest
b) Desert
c) Ocean
d) Estuary
41. The main decomposers in an ecosystem are:
a) Protozoa
b) Bacteria and fungi
c) Insects
d) Algae
42. Which nutrient cycle is sedimentary?
a) Carbon
b) Nitrogen
c) Phosphorus
d) Oxygen
43. Which of the following is not part of the nitrogen cycle?
a) Ammonification
b) Nitrification
c) Denitrification
d) Respiration
44. Pyramid of energy is always upright because:
a) Energy flows in both directions
b) Energy increases at each level
c) Energy is lost at each trophic level
d) Biomass increases
45. Which of the following shows a linear food chain?
a) Grass → Deer → Tiger
b) Detritus → Earthworm → Crow
c) Algae → Zooplankton → Fish
d) All of the above
46. Which is the correct order of trophic levels in a grazing food chain?
a) Producer → Primary consumer → Secondary consumer → Tertiary consumer
b) Producer → Secondary consumer → Primary consumer → Decomposer
c) Decomposer → Producer → Consumer → Carnivore
d) Primary consumer → Producer → Secondary consumer
47. The total amount of energy received by an organism is termed as:
a) GPP
b) NPP
c) Biomass
d) Standing crop
48. In an aquatic ecosystem, pyramid of numbers is:
a) Always upright
b) Always inverted
c) Usually upright
d) Sometimes upright
49. Energy flow in an ecosystem is governed by:
a) Second law of thermodynamics
b) Newton’s laws
c) First law of motion
d) Pascal’s law
50. Which among the following is a gaseous cycle?
a) Phosphorus
b) Carbon
c) Sulphur
d) Iron
51. An example of a pioneer community in hydrosere is:
a) Rooted plants
b) Phytoplankton
c) Sedges
d) Grasses
52. The decomposers play a crucial role in:
a) Energy production
b) Nutrient cycling
c) Succession
d) Climax formation
53. The maximum energy in an ecosystem is found at the level of:
a) Tertiary consumers
b) Primary consumers
c) Secondary consumers
d) Producers
54. The correct sequence of succession in xerarch is:
a) Lichen → Moss → Herb → Shrub → Forest
b) Moss → Lichen → Herb → Shrub → Forest
c) Herb → Shrub → Lichen → Forest
d) Forest → Shrub → Herb → Moss → Lichen
55. The amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by producers is called:
a) Primary productivity
b) Secondary productivity
c) Energy flow
d) Biomass
56. Pyramid of biomass in pond ecosystem is:
a) Upright
b) Inverted
c) Cylindrical
d) None
57. Most energy in a food chain is lost as:
a) Sound
b) Excretion
c) Heat
d) Movement
58. What is humus?
a) Organic material in fresh form
b) Inorganic substance
c) Partially decomposed dark coloured organic matter
d) Plant debris
59. In terrestrial ecosystem, the chief producers are:
a) Algae
b) Shrubs
c) Trees
d) Grasses
60. The reservoir pool in a nutrient cycle is:
a) Biotic component
b) Abiotic component
c) Producers
d) Consumers
61. Which of the following is not a component of ecosystem?
a) Producers
b) Consumers
c) Decomposers
d) Pollutants
62. A food web is:
a) Linear feeding relationship
b) Interconnected food chains
c) Nutrient cycle
d) Trophic level pyramid
63. Which of the following fixes atmospheric nitrogen?
a) Cyanobacteria
b) Fungi
c) Virus
d) Protozoa
64. Energy pyramids never invert because:
a) Energy is conserved
b) Energy loss occurs at every level
c) Biomass is consistent
d) Producers are small
65. The organisms that feed on dead organic matter are called:
a) Herbivores
b) Carnivores
c) Detritivores
d) Omnivores
66. Secondary succession occurs:
a) On newly formed land
b) On land previously inhabited
c) In oceans
d) On rocky surfaces
67. The most productive ecosystem is:
a) Desert
b) Coral reef
c) Ocean
d) Grassland
68. Ecosystem services include:
a) Nutrient cycling
b) Pollination
c) Climate regulation
d) All of the above
69. Which of the following does not affect decomposition rate?
a) Temperature
b) Moisture
c) pH
d) Gravity
70. Which type of succession occurs in dry areas?
a) Hydrarch
b) Xerarch
c) Mesarch
d) None
71. The portion of total productivity not used in respiration is:
a) Gross primary productivity
b) Net primary productivity
c) Secondary productivity
d) Assimilated energy
72. Who classified ecosystem services into 4 categories?
a) IUCN
b) Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
c) WWF
d) IPCC
73. Which component of the ecosystem absorbs solar energy?
a) Consumers
b) Producers
c) Decomposers
d) Scavengers
74. The number of trophic levels in an ecosystem is limited due to:
a) Energy loss at each level
b) Biodiversity
c) Biomass limitation
d) Space restriction
75. A group of organisms of different species interacting in an area is:
a) Population
b) Community
c) Ecosystem
d) Biome
76. During succession, species diversity:
a) Decreases
b) Increases
c) Remains constant
d) Becomes zero
77. Nutrient cycles maintain:
a) Ecosystem balance
b) Population growth
c) Predator-prey ratio
d) Reproduction
78. Which pyramid can never be inverted?
a) Pyramid of number
b) Pyramid of biomass
c) Pyramid of energy
d) Pyramid of productivity
79. The pyramid of biomass is upright in:
a) Ocean
b) Forest
c) Pond
d) River
80. The dead remains of plants and animals are called:
a) Detritus
b) Litter
c) Humus
d) Debris
81. GPP stands for:
a) Gross primary production
b) General productivity potential
c) Green primary productivity
d) Gross plant potential
82. Which one forms a link between producers and consumers?
a) Decomposers
b) Herbivores
c) Carnivores
d) Omnivores
83. Which of the following is not a function of an ecosystem?
a) Energy flow
b) Nutrient cycling
c) Evolution
d) Succession
84. Which zone of a pond has the highest productivity?
a) Profundal zone
b) Benthic zone
c) Limnetic zone
d) Littoral zone
85. Succession driven by biological activity is called:
a) Autogenic
b) Allogenic
c) Xerarch
d) Hydrarch
86. All of the following are examples of climax vegetation except:
a) Desert shrubs
b) Grassland
c) Aquatic plants
d) Rainforest
87. Mineralisation is performed by:
a) Producers
b) Herbivores
c) Microbes
d) Carnivores
88. A stable climax community resists:
a) Disturbance
b) Change
c) Energy flow
d) Succession
89. Decomposition rate is faster in:
a) Dry and cold conditions
b) Warm and wet conditions
c) Hot and dry conditions
d) Cold and wet conditions
90. Which part of Earth has the least productivity?
a) Tropical rainforest
b) Coral reefs
c) Tundra
d) Estuary
91. The process of succession in water bodies is known as:
a) Hydrosere
b) Xerosere
c) Halosere
d) Lithosere
92. A pyramid of number in forest ecosystem is:
a) Upright
b) Inverted
c) Spindle-shaped
d) None of these
93. Climax in ecological succession is determined by:
a) Soil
b) Water
c) Climate
d) Biotic factors
94. A self-regulating and functional unit of nature is called:
a) Community
b) Biosphere
c) Population
d) Ecosystem
95. Lichens are considered as:
a) Decomposers
b) Consumers
c) Pioneer species
d) Climax community
96. Which of the following represents detritus food chain?
a) Dead matter → Fungi → Earthworm → Bird
b) Grass → Deer → Tiger
c) Phytoplankton → Zooplankton → Fish
d) Shrubs → Goat → Man
97. Which gas is fixed in photosynthesis?
a) O2
b) CO2
c) N2
d) CH4
98. Which form of nitrogen is absorbed by plants?
a) NH3 and NO3–
b) NO2 only
c) N2 only
d) Urea
99. Primary productivity is higher in:
a) Ocean
b) Desert
c) Forest
d) Tundra
100. Food chains are usually short because:
a) Long chains are unstable
b) Energy is lost at each step
c) Toxins accumulate
d) There are no top predators
