IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) · Sciences

Human impact on the environment: Practice Questions

5 multiple-choice questions marked as you go, and 5 written questions with worked solutions. All on Human impact on the environment.

10 questions18 marksFree, no account

Question 1

1 mark

Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor that can limit the distribution of a plant species in a terrestrial ecosystem?

Question 2

1 mark

The diagram below represents a pyramid of biomass for a specific marine ecosystem.

Level 4: Large Fish
Level 3: Small Fish
Level 2: Zooplankton
Level 1: Phytoplankton

Why is the biomass at Level 4 significantly less than the biomass at Level 1?

Question 3

1 mark

Consider a pyramid of numbers where a single large oak tree supports thousands of herbivorous insects, which in turn support hundreds of carnivorous beetles. Which description best fits the shape of this pyramid?

Question 4

1 mark

Which of the following human activities is a major contributor to the enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming?

Question 5

1 mark

In a food web, if a tertiary consumer is removed from the ecosystem, what is a likely immediate consequence for the secondary consumer population?

Question 6

2 marks

Ecologists study the interactions between organisms and their environment. State the scientific term used to describe the non-living components of an ecosystem, and provide one example of such a factor that can influence the survival of plants in a garden.

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Question 7

2 marks

In the study of ecosystems, organisms are organized into different biological levels. State the ecological term used to describe all the different populations of various species that live and interact together in the same geographic area.

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Question 8

2 marks

Ecologists study organisms at various levels of biological organization. State the scientific term used to describe a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same geographic area at the same time.

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Question 9

4 marks

Ecology and Human Impact
In a local forest ecosystem, the following organisms are observed: Oak trees, Caterpillars, Birds, and Hawks.

(a) Construct a food chain using all the organisms mentioned above.
(b) Identify which organism in this food chain is the primary consumer and explain its source of energy.
(c) State the main source of energy for the entire food chain and explain how energy is lost as it moves from one trophic level to the next.

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Question 10

3 marks

A large area of forest is cut down to make room for a new highway. This process of clearing forest land is called deforestation.

(a) Describe how deforestation impacts the amount of carbon dioxide (\(CO_2\)) in the atmosphere.
(b) Explain why the removal of trees leads to a loss of biodiversity in the area.

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