Free Forest Ecology MCQs with Answers

• A. Lag phase
• B. Exponential phase
• C. Stationary phase
• D. Linear phase

Explanation: The standard sigmoid growth curve has lag, exponential or logarithmic, and stationary phases.

• A. Stationary phase
• B. Biotic potential
• C. Acceleration limit
• D. Carrying capacity

Explanation: Carrying capacity is the maximum population level that the environment can sustain over time with its available resources.

• A. Plant community
• B. Zoocoenosis
• C. Biocoenosis
• D. Ecotype

Explanation: A plant community is formed when two or more plant populations or groups occur together and interact in an area.

• A. A group of independent and integrating populations of different species
• B. A group of independent and interacting populations of same species
• C. A group of independent and interacting populations of different species in a specific area
• D. A group of a independent and interacting populations of same species in a specific area

Explanation: A community consists of populations of different species that interact within a defined area.

• A. Diversity
• B. Dominance
• C. Physiognomy
• D. Stratification

Explanation: Stratification is the vertical arrangement of organisms or vegetation into layers such as canopy, understory, shrub and ground layers.

• A. Low abundance, high influence
• B. High abundance, little influence
• C. Low abundance, little influence
• D. High abundance, high influence

Explanation: Keystone species often have low abundance but exert a disproportionately large effect on community structure and ecosystem processes.

• A. Keystone species
• B. Critical link species
• C. Edge species
• D. Edaphic pod species

Explanation: Mycorrhizae link plant roots with soil fungi, improving nutrient and water uptake while receiving carbohydrates from the plant, so they…

• A. Biomass
• B. Frequency
• C. Density
• D. Abundance

Explanation: Abundance is the number of individuals of a species counted in a sampling unit, often calculated for the units where that species occurs.

• A. Frequency
• B. Density
• C. Abundance
• D. Phenology

Explanation: Frequency is the percentage of sampling units in which a species is present, indicating how widely it is distributed through the sampled…

• A. Diatoms
• B. Lichens
• C. Mosses
• D. Ferns

Explanation: Lichens are pioneer organisms that can colonize barren surfaces and help initiate soil formation by weathering the substrate and adding…

• A. Lithophytic
• B. Xerophytic
• C. Mesophytic
• D. Hydrophytic

Explanation: A climatic climax is the relatively stable community shaped by the regional climate, usually with moderate moisture conditions, so it is…

• A. Zizyphus
• B. Potantilla
• C. Umbilicaria
• D. Grimmia

Explanation: In a lithosere, the herb stage follows the lichen and moss stages, and is followed by woody shrubs such as Zizyphus.

• A. Ecosystem
• B. Climatic community
• C. Ecotons
• D. Seral community

Explanation: The final, relatively stable community in ecological succession is the climax community, here represented by the term climatic community.

• A. Woody shrubs-mosses-lichens-annual herbs
• B. Annual herb-weedy shrubs-lichens-mosses
• C. Lichens-mosses-annual herbs-wood shrubs
• D. Mosses-annual herbs-woody shrubs-lichens

Explanation: Primary succession on bare rock generally proceeds from pioneer lichens to mosses, then herbs and finally woody shrubs.

• A. Rhus
• B. Weissia
• C. Capparis
• D. Poa

Explanation: The herb stage of a lithosere is dominated by grasses and other small herbs, such as Poa.

• A. Boswellia
• B. Quercus
• C. Anogeissus
• D. Balanites

Explanation: In a temperate lithosere, succession can culminate in a temperate forest dominated by broad-leaved trees such as Quercus.

• A. Induced
• B. Deflated
• C. Secondary
• D. Retrogessive

Explanation: When an existing plant community is removed but the site has previously developed soil, the replacement sequence is secondary succession.

• A. Ecesis, aggregation and competition
• B. Migration, aggregation and competition
• C. Migration, ecesis and aggregation
• D. Aggregation, competition and coaction

Explanation: Invasion begins with migration of propagules, followed by ecesis, their establishment in the new site, and aggregation into a population.

• A. Tansley
• B. Kormondy
• C. Hodges
• D. Hult

Explanation: Hult coined the term succession in his 1885 work on the development of plant communities.

• A. Ecesis
• B. Migration
• C. Aggregation
• D. All of these

Explanation: Migration is the arrival or dispersal of organisms into a bare area, so it initiates community invasion.