Lesson 4.7.1.3

4.7.1.3 Biotic factors Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 7

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.7.1.3, Biotic factors: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Biology (8461), Unit 7: Ecology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which of the following is a biotic factor in an ecosystem?

    • Soil pH
    • Light intensity
    • New predators arriving
    • Moisture levels

  2. Which biotic factor describes the amount of prey available in an ecosystem?

    • Food availability
    • Soil pH
    • Light intensity
    • Wind direction

  3. Which biotic factor involves disease-causing microorganisms entering an ecosystem?

    • New predators
    • New pathogens
    • Soil pH
    • Food availability

  4. Which biotic factor occurs when one species reduces another's population below breeding levels?

    • High temperature
    • Interspecific competition
    • Low moisture
    • New pathogens

  5. Biotic factors are factors that are which of the following?

    • Chemical only
    • Non-living
    • Physical
    • Living

  6. Which biotic factor can significantly reduce the leaf area of woodland trees?

    • Insect pests
    • Wind intensity
    • Acid rain
    • Low light

  7. Which biotic factor is most likely to cause a decline in a predator population?

    • Higher water temperature
    • Increased oxygen levels
    • Decreased prey numbers
    • Increased light intensity

  8. What type of factor in an ecosystem is caused by living organisms?

    • Abiotic factor
    • Edaphic factor
    • Biotic factor
    • Climatic factor

  9. Two bird species eating the same seed type in a forest leads to which biotic interaction?

    • Predation
    • Food competition
    • Disease spread
    • Parasitism

  10. What type of factor is a fungal pathogen that infects and kills crop plants?

    • Abiotic factor
    • Chemical factor
    • Physical factor
    • Biotic factor

  11. What usually happens to a prey population when a new predator arrives in their habitat?

    • Population decreases
    • Stays constant
    • Doubles rapidly
    • Population increases

  12. What type of factor is a caterpillar population eating leaves from oak trees?

    • Climatic factor
    • Abiotic factor
    • Biotic factor
    • Geological factor

  13. What occurs when one species outcompetes another until the second can no longer breed?

    • Predation
    • Deforestation
    • Interspecific competition
    • Mutualism

  14. What is the main biotic reason a predator population increases when prey numbers rise?

    • Higher oxygen levels
    • Increased light intensity
    • Lower soil pH
    • Increased food availability

  15. If an introduced species destroys the shelter plants of fish, what happens to fish numbers?

    • Decrease
    • Increase
    • Remain unchanged
    • Double

  16. A new bird species arrives and eats forest insects. Which biotic factor causes insect numbers to fall?

    • Interspecific competition
    • Arrival of predators
    • Lack of food
    • Arrival of pathogens

  17. A predator population decreases after prey numbers decline. Which biotic factor caused this drop?

    • New predators arriving
    • Reduced food availability
    • Interspecific competition
    • New pathogens arriving

  18. If one species outcompetes another, why might the second species fail to breed?

    • Population too small
    • Predators stop hunting
    • Genomes mutate rapidly
    • Food becomes toxic

  19. A new predator arrives when a prey's food supply is already low. What happens to prey numbers?

    • Rapid increase
    • No change
    • Sharp decrease
    • Slight increase

  20. What type of factor is the arrival of a new pathogen in an ecosystem?

    • Climatic factor
    • Biotic factor
    • Edaphic factor
    • Abiotic factor

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