WMAN 313 Exam 2 Sample Questions

Suppose a kestrel (small predatory bird) is hunting a lizard. The kestrel catches the lizard by the end of the tail. The lizard would most likely

A. be predated

B. cover itself in feces to deter the kestrel from eating it

C. perform "push-ups" as a signal to the kestrel that it is in good physical condition

D. detach its tail to attempt to distract the kestrel while the lizard made its escape

D

The types of behaviors that an animal engages in are determined by

A. the local environmental conditions and the individual's ability to reason

B. a combination of environmental conditions and the individual's genes

C. the genetic makeup of the individual and the animal's preferences

D. a combination of the animal's preference and its genetic makeup

B

According to the conceptual model of optimal foraging, as foraging effort increases,

A. the total energy obtained eventually becomes negative

B. the profitability of the food item increases

C. cumulative energy investment in foraging increases at a constant rate

D. net energy gain increases linearly

C

In a case where critical resources are clumped in space and males provide most of the parental care, the mating system is most likely to be

A. polyandry

B. monogamy

C. polygyny

D. promiscuity

A

Which scenario would result in the highest transmission rates of pathogens among individuals in a group?

A. A large group living in an area where resources are scarce

B. A large group living in an area where resources are abundant

C. A small group living in an area where resources are abundant

D. A small group living in an area where resources are scarce

A

Which statement describes how individuals of a prey species alter their foraging decisions in the presence of predators?

A. A mother bird feeds her nestlings more when cats are nearby

B. A deer spends more time foraging in open meadow when wolves are absent

C. A small fish spends more time feeding in an area frequented by heron

D. A mouse spends more time foraging in open habitat when an owl is present

B

Adaptive evolution is a process that occurs

A. during foraging activities

B. within one individual's lifetime

C. over multiple generations of individuals

D. when an individual is reproductively active

C

Behavioral ecology is best described as the study of the

A. ecological and evolutionary basis of animal behavior

B. evolution of animal behavior

C. ecology of animals

D. behavior of animals

A

Which factor most likely affects the northern limit of the geographic range of monarch butterflies?

A. The availability of milkweed plants

B. The presence of herbivores

C. The Appalachian Mountains

D. Sub-freezing temperatures

A

Which statement about population is false?

A. The distribution of a species is the geographic area where the abundance of the species is greater than zero.

B. Populations are dynamic entities that vary in size over time and space

C. A population is a group of individuals from the same species that interact with one another within a particular area

D. All of the above are true

D

Area-based methods often make use of sampling areas of a defined size called

A. GARPs

B. transects

C. quadrats

D. ramets

C

Which statement about populations is false?

A. If little is known about the distance that sexually reproducing organisms or their gametes move, the area that constitutes a single population is difficult to estimate.

B. Population abundances change over time and space

C. Most organisms have similar capacities for dispersal

D. A population may consist of a series of patches of individuals that are isolated in space but are connected by dispersal

C

An entomology research team interested in controlling the spread of winter moths, an insect pest in the northeastern United States, samples a 150-square-meter patch of woodland with four quadrats of 1 meter by 1 meter each. In quadrats A, B, C, and D, respectively, 10, 20, 35, and 15 individual winter moths are found. What is the best estimate for the total number of winter moths in that patch of woodland?

A. 3,000

B. 2,000

C. 80

D. 8,000

A

A population has a current size of 150. If the population growth rate is 1.2, what will the expected population size be after two generations?

A. 144

B. 180

C. 216

D. 200

C

Suppose that researchers are studying the life history of a population of gorillas, a species in which individuals can live for several decades. They can assess the ages of the gorillas with high accuracy, but because of funding constraints, they are limited to three years of study. Which table will the researchers be able to construct?

A. A Korbutz's life table

B. A static life table

C. A full cohort life table

D. A dynamic life table

B

A population of prickly pear cacti has 1500 individuals with an intrinsic rate of increase (r) of 0.3. As the population gets close to its carrying capacity of 2000 individuals, how will r change?

A. r will be less than zero

B. r will be near 0

C. r will be slightly less than 0.3

D. r will be slightly more than 0.3

B

Which population would be expected to remain stable in size?

A. A population with an r of 1

B. A population with a λ of 1

C. A population with an r of 0

D. both b and c

D

Which statement about logistic growth is false?

A. At the carrying capacity, there is no population growth in the logistical model.

B. The carrying capacity is the maximum population size that can be supported by the environment for one year

C. At low densities, logistic growth is similar to exponential growth

D. Logistic growth of a population can be represented by an S-shaped curve

B

Suppose that only two females and a small number of males are left in a population of a highly endangered bird. Although all of these birds are healthy, by chance, both females fail to reproduce and the population goes extinct. This extinction is best described as a consequence of

A. environmental stochasticity

B. genetic drift

C. inbreeding

D. demographic stochasticity

D

Which statement about genetic drift is false?

A. it can cause harmful alleles to occur at high frequency

B. It can rapidly reduce the genetic variability of small populations

C. It is a process by which chance events influence which alleles are transmitted to the next generation

D. It is an Allee effect

D

Ecologists have been monitoring three metapopulations of butterflies. Population A has a patch colonization rate of 0.06 and a patch extinction rate of 0.12. Population B has a patch colonization rate of 0.04 and a patch extinction rate of 0.02. Population C has a patch colonization rate of 0.10 and a patch extinction rate of 0.14. According to Levin's metapopulation model, which population(s) would be expected to persist for a long time?

A. Population A only

B. Population B only

C. Population C only

D. Populations A and B

B

Which of the following is most likely to lead to population cycles?

A. Demographic stochasticity

B. Logistic growth

C. Delayed density dependence

D. Habitat fragmentation

C

Which statement about environmental stochasticity is true?

A. Environmental stochasticity places grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park at risk for extinction despite the average positive growth rate of this population

B. There is no fundamental difference between environmental stochasticity and demographic stochasticity

C. In a situation of environmental stochasticity, the underlying birth and death rates of individuals are constant across years

D. All of the above

A

Assuming that their average population growth rates and all other factors are equal, which population would most likely be at risk for extinction?

A. A large population with low variation in its growth rate

B. A small population with high variation in its growth rate

C. A small population with low variation in its growth rate

D. A large population with high variance in its growth rate

B

At low population densities, the flocking behavior of some species of birds is disrupted to the extent that the population growth rate is lower at very low densities than it is at somewhat higher densities. This is an example of

A. an Allee effect

B. genetic drift

C. environmental stochasticity

D. dampened oscillations

A

Moths resting on the trunks of trees often resemble the tree bark so that potential predators do not perceive them as prey. This is an example of

A. an induced defense

B. aposematic coloration

C. silencing

D. crypsis

D

Many species of butterflies are noxious to predators. They also have bright red coloration that indicates to the potential predators that they are unpleasant or even harmful to eat. This is an example of ________ coloration.

A. cryptic

B. aposematic

C. exploitative

B

Which statement best describes the relationship between snow geese and plants in the salt marshes that border the Hudson Bay?

A. At low densities, the geese harm the plants; at high densities, the geese benefit the plants

B. At low densities, the geese benefit the plants; at high densities, the geese harm the plants

C. At all densities, the geese benefit the plants

D. At all densities, the geese harm the plants

B

Herbivores most commonly eat the _______ of plants.

A. stems

B. leaves

C. seeds

D. roots

B

Insects feeding on the leaves of a plant stimulate the plant to produce more leaves. This is an example of

A. competition

B. an induced defense

C. aposematism

D. compensation

D

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