Lesson 3.1.2.1

3.1.2.1 Ecosystems Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.2.1, Ecosystems: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Geography (8035), Unit 1: Living with the physical environment, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which group of organisms in an ecosystem produces its own food through photosynthesis?

    • Decomposers
    • Predators
    • Consumers
    • Producers

  2. What term describes a network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem?

    • Trophic level
    • Nutrient cycle
    • Food chain
    • Food web

  3. Which group in an ecosystem breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to the soil?

    • Carnivores
    • Herbivores
    • Decomposers
    • Producers

  4. What term describes an organism that gets energy by consuming other organisms?

    • Abiotic factor
    • Decomposer
    • Consumer
    • Producer

  5. Which organisms break down dead organic matter to recycle nutrients into soil?

    • Primary consumers
    • Apex predators
    • Decomposers
    • Producers

  6. Which organism type forms the first trophic level in a food chain?

    • Secondary consumer
    • Decomposer
    • Producer
    • Primary consumer

  7. Which of these is an abiotic component of an ecosystem?

    • Earthworms
    • Oak woodland
    • Soil fungi
    • Soil moisture

  8. Rapid algal growth in a pond ecosystem causes a reduction in which abiotic factor?

    • Water temperature
    • Solar radiation
    • Dissolved oxygen
    • Carbon dioxide

  9. A food chain has 10,000 units of energy at the producer level. Approximately how many units reach the secondary consumer level, using the 10% rule?

    • 1,000 units
    • 100 units
    • 10 units
    • 5,000 units

  10. What term refers to the living components of an ecosystem, such as plants and animals?

    • Abiotic factors
    • Edaphic factors
    • Biotic factors
    • Climatic factors

  11. Which large-scale natural global ecosystem is characterised by low rainfall and sparse vegetation?

    • Hot desert
    • Tropical rainforest
    • Temperate deciduous woodland
    • Coral reef

  12. What is the most likely immediate effect of removing a top predator from a food web?

    • Producer population increases
    • Prey population increases
    • Decomposer numbers drop
    • Biotic factors disappear

  13. Which process recycles nutrients from dead leaf litter back into the soil?

    • Decomposition
    • Transpiration
    • Photosynthesis
    • Bioaccumulation

  14. A small ecosystem has 500 kg of producer biomass. Using the rough 10% rule, what biomass would a primary consumer be expected to support?

    • 500 kg
    • 5,000 kg
    • 50 kg
    • 5 kg

  15. How do producers in an ecosystem obtain their energy?

    • Bioaccumulation
    • Decomposition
    • Photosynthesis
    • Respiration

  16. In a food chain of grass, rabbits and foxes, which organism is the primary consumer?

    • Fox
    • Grass
    • Soil bacteria
    • Rabbit

  17. If primary consumers increase, what happens to producer numbers in the short term?

    • They increase
    • They stay unchanged
    • They decrease
    • They double

  18. Which organisms in a freshwater pond ecosystem break down dead organic matter?

    • Primary consumers
    • Apex predators
    • Decomposers
    • Producers

  19. Which diagram shows all the interconnected feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem?

    • Food chain
    • Food web
    • Nutrient cycle
    • Energy pyramid

  20. Which term describes all the living organisms and non-living conditions of an area considered together?

    • Ecosystem
    • Nutrient cycle
    • Food web
    • Biome

All AQA Geography quizzes