Lesson 3.1.6.7

3.1.6.7 Ecosystems: case studies Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.6.7, Ecosystems: case studies: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Geography (7037), Unit 1: Physical geography, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. A case study of a region experiencing ecological change is most useful for showing:

    • That all regions experience identical change, which means one set of conclusions applies everywhere
    • The nature of the change, its causes and how the local community responds
    • That ecological change never affects people, so the case study can focus only on the wildlife of the region
    • That only global events cause ecological change, so local communities have no influence on the outcome

  2. In a local ecosystem case study, which analysis best links the ecosystem to the community?

    • Measuring only the depth of the nearest river at several points along its course through the valley
    • Describing only the colour of the vegetation during different seasons of the year for the study area
    • Explaining how the community's economic and political character reflects its ecological setting
    • Listing the number of species without any link to people, so that the list can be compared with other sites

  3. Which criterion is most important when evaluating a sustainable development strategy in an ecosystem case study?

    • Whether it protects the ecosystem while supporting the livelihoods of local people
    • Whether it is supported by the most visitors who travel to the site during the peak tourist season
    • Whether it uses the most advanced machinery available, regardless of the effect on the local environment
    • Whether it generates the largest short-term profit for outside investors who have funded the project

  4. Which term describes the sustainable use of an ecosystem so that it can continue to provide resources over the long term?

    • Mineral leaching, which describes the loss of soluble nutrients from the soil profile through percolating water
    • Plagioclimax, which describes a community maintained by human activity such as grazing or burning over time
    • Sustainable development, which balances environmental protection with economic and social needs over time
    • Trophic cascade, which describes indirect effects that travel through a food web when a predator is removed

  5. Which factor is most likely to affect how a community responds to ecological change?

    • The average height of its buildings, which determines how well the community can withstand storms and flooding
    • The number of tourists visiting in summer, which shows how attractive the community is to outsiders
    • The colour of its local shops, which is an indicator of how prosperous the community has been recently
    • Its economic resources, governance and access to information

  6. Which quantitative data would be most useful in a case study of ecological change?

    • Trends in species counts or land cover over time
    • The colour of the sky on the day of the survey, recorded using a standard colour chart in the field
    • A single photograph with no measurements, which shows the appearance of the site on one occasion
    • The number of songs and poems written about the place by local people in the past century

  7. Which factor is most likely to drive ecological change in a developing region?

    • Population growth and economic development increasing demand for land and resources
    • Ocean currents that alter the species present in the region each year in a predictable pattern
    • Continental drift moving the region to a new latitude over a single human lifetime of observation
    • Volcanic activity that changes the climate permanently across the entire region and its surroundings

  8. Which statement best evaluates the human response to ecological change in a case study?

    • Human responses always fully restore the original ecosystem, so no further monitoring or management is needed
    • Human responses are never needed because ecosystems recover automatically from any level of human disturbance
    • Responses can include conservation and sustainable land use, but their success depends on resources and governance
    • Human responses have no effect on ecosystems, which change only in response to natural processes and climate

  9. Which of these is an example of a community response to ecological change?

    • Ignoring environmental change and making no plans, since the community assumes the problem will resolve itself
    • Introducing a new species without any assessment of risk, to replace the species that have declined
    • Allowing unrestricted clearance of all remaining forest to make way for new housing and farmland
    • Establishing a protected area and limiting harvesting rates

  10. Which secondary impact of ecological change is most likely to affect a rural community?

    • Loss of all tourism because the region is cold, which affects the economy only in the depth of winter
    • Immediate formation of a new mountain range, which would change the landscape but not the economy directly
    • Loss of livelihoods when natural resources such as fish or fuelwood decline
    • Direct burial by pyroclastic flow, which occurs only near active volcanoes and not in most rural areas

  11. A case study finds that a community's income depends heavily on a single resource that is declining. Which outcome is most likely?

    • Immediate recovery of the resource with no intervention, since resources always rebound when they are scarce
    • No effect on the community's wellbeing, because income is not connected to the state of the resource
    • Greater economic vulnerability and pressure to over-exploit the remaining resource
    • Economic growth without any change in resource use, since the community will find new ways to earn money

  12. Which feature of a case study makes it valuable for testing general ideas about ecology and people?

    • It avoids all evidence and relies only on opinion, which allows the researcher to explore a wide range of views
    • It assumes all places respond identically, which makes it easy to apply a single model across regions
    • It examines specific evidence and shows how general processes play out in a particular place
    • It ignores the role of people in ecosystems, so that the focus remains on natural processes alone

  13. Which conservation measure would be most appropriate for a region with declining species due to habitat loss?

    • Creating habitat corridors and protected areas that connect fragmented habitats
    • Introducing predators from other continents without assessment, which will control the prey species quickly
    • Removing all remaining habitat to make space for development, which allows the region to grow economically
    • Ignoring the decline because species will adapt to new conditions over time without any help from people

  14. Which statement about the relationship between ecosystem change and community development is most accurate?

    • Ecological change can constrain or open up development options for a community
    • Communities are unaffected by any ecosystem change, since their economies are independent of the natural environment
    • Development always restores ecosystems, so there is no need to consider the environment before planning growth
    • Ecological change never affects development options, since communities can always choose a path regardless of the environment

  15. Which measure is most useful for sustainable development of an ecosystem with high value but limited resources?

    • Ignoring the ecosystem entirely and focusing development on areas that have no ecological value
    • Community-based management that involves local people in decisions and benefit sharing
    • Exploiting the ecosystem at the maximum rate to generate income before the resources are depleted
    • Imposing full development with no local involvement, so that decisions can be made quickly by outside experts

  16. Which of these is a challenge that a sustainable development strategy for an ecosystem might face?

    • Ensuring the ecosystem never changes at all, which is impossible because all ecosystems are constantly changing
    • Preventing any human presence in the area, which is always required for effective conservation management
    • Eliminating all economic activity, which is necessary to ensure that the ecosystem is fully protected
    • Balancing the needs of local livelihoods against the need to protect the ecosystem

  17. Which evaluation best describes the importance of ecological change for human wellbeing?

    • Ecological change only affects wildlife, not people, because human societies are largely independent of natural systems
    • Ecological change has no consequences for people, since their wellbeing depends only on income and jobs
    • Ecological change can affect food, water and health, so it has direct consequences for people
    • Ecological change improves human health in every case, since new species always bring benefits to communities

  18. A region's wetland is drained for farmland. Which outcome is most likely?

    • Increased wetland biodiversity from the new farmland, which provides more food for birds and mammals
    • Loss of wetland biodiversity and reduced flood regulation for surrounding communities
    • No effect on flood risk for nearby communities, since the water simply disappears into the soil
    • Immediate creation of a tropical rainforest, since drained wetlands are suited to dense tree growth

  19. Which statement about local conservation strategies is most accurate?

    • They always succeed without any local involvement, since protection can be imposed effectively from outside
    • They only work in tropical regions, where conditions are favourable for species to recover after disturbance
    • They work best when they combine ecological protection with the involvement of local communities
    • They are unnecessary once a species has declined, since the species will recover without any further action

  20. A case study finds that a community's response to ecological change is slow because of limited funding. Which conclusion is most supported?

    • The ecological change is unlikely to matter, since funding is a far bigger problem for the community than the environment
    • Economic resources constrain the community's ability to respond effectively to change
    • The community has no need to respond, since the ecological change will reverse itself without any action
    • Economic resources have no influence on responses, which depend only on the willingness of individuals to act

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