Ecology Quiz (Fall 2020)

In the web-comic about Saint Matthew Island, the reindeer exceeded the islands _____________ and ultimately the population crashed

carrying capacity

What percentage of energy is lost at each level in the food chain?

90%

The graph shown below is representative of

competitive exclusion

The first level of a trophic pyramid is always occupied by

primary producers

A carbon sink is

a system that retains carbon

Primary production in the oceans is generated by

phytoplankton

Biodiversity is greatest in which biome?

rainforest

The levels of organization from most specific to least specific are

individual > population > community > ecosystem > biome > biosphere

Why do the seasons of the year occur? (i.e. why is it warmer during the summer than in the winter?)

the earth's axis of rotation is tilted relative to the plane of earth's orbit around the sun

All of the non-living parts of an ecosystem are referred to as

abiotic factors

What are the two main approaches to scientific inquiry that were presented in class?

reductionist and holistic

What method was used to deal with the starling populations in Rome?

use a megaphone with starling warning calls to keep them way

The vegetation in Southern California is similar to what one finds near Barcelona, on the Mediterranean coast. This is most likely due to

equivalent rainfall and temperature

The land portion of the earth is the

lithosphere

A Whittaker diagram separates biomes by

precipitation and temperature

Plants primarily use radiation (photons) emitted by the sun in the ________ spectrum

visible

Territorial behavior in the tawny owl tends to keep the size of the population stable

true

In deep-water communities along hydrothermal vent systems, primary production takes place by

chemosynthesis

The most recent study estimated there could be as many as 1.8 billion species on earth

false

Birth, death, and competition are the most important factors in the formula for calculating changes in populations

false

Physical fighting over shared resources is called

interference competition

When two organisms attempt to utilize the same resource, the result is

competition

Which statement(s) about Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of oceans is/are false?

NPP in oceans is higher in areas with lower nutrients

According to the Gaia hypothesis, the earth acts like a "_________________" that controls its environment through positive and negative feedback mechanisms

self-maintaining biotic/abiotic organism

A population is defined as

a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed

Latitudinal gradients impact bird but not mammal species diversity

false

Hydrothermal vents are such extreme environments that only microorganisms can live around them

false

A form of competition where once species uses resources more efficiently than the other species is called apparent competition

false