Module 12: Population & Community Ecology (Ch45) and 6th Extinction (Ch 6-7)

[Based on Mt. St. Helens video from this module] After the eruption "scoured those valley walls right down to bedrock," scientists had a unique opportunity to study this ecological phenomenon.

primary succession

Which of the following is a density-independent factor limiting human population growth?

earthquake

Population pyramids are shown for: Rwanda (left), Canada (center), Japan (right). Which nation is most likely to experience a population decline over the next generation or two?[Based on Population Pyramid video from this module (5 min)]

Japan

Which curve best fits an elephant that spends a great deal of time and investment raising each offspring?

A

[Based on Mt. St. Helens video from this module] Which vocabulary term best describes the role of the volcano eruption in this community?

environmental disturbance

Every morning at the same time, John went into the living room to feed his new tropical fish. After a few weeks, he noticed that the fish swam to the top of the tank when he entered the room. This is an example of

classical conditioning

The coefficient of relatedness (a measure of the amount of DNA shared by related individuals) is a quantitative argument for kin selection (and associated altruistic behavior). Which relationship does NOT have a coefficient of relatedness of approximately 0.5?

an uncle to his nephew

Which curve best suits a toad that lays 10,0000 tiny eggs, most of which will never make it to adulthood?

C

The ovals above represent mangrove islands of various sizes and distances from shore. According to the MacArthur/Wilson Island Biogeography Model, which island is expected to have the LOWEST number of insect species at equilibrium?

island .... NOT A

This is a math problem, so focus on the numbers rather than the graph. The population growth rate for this nation in 2014 was

negative (declining population size)

The ovals above represent mangrove islands of various sizes and distances from shore. According to the MacArthur/Wilson Island Biogeography Model, which island is expected to have the HIGHEST number of insect species at equilibrium?

Island A

Why did the chicken scratch the ground? Not just to find food, but also because the chicken's ground-scratching ancestors were fit enough to pass on their genes for this useful behavior, and their competitors (over the long term) were not.

ultimate causation

Which of the following best describes resource partitioning?

slight variations in niche that allow similar species to coexist

Which forest floor is more diverse in richness of mushroom species?

psychdelic community

Wilson & Simberloff's Island Biogeography Theory described the expected number of insect species sustained over time on mangrove islands, based on their size and distance from the mainland. This work has applications for conservation biology because preserved habitat fragments are analogous to "islands" in a sea of inhospitable landscape.

Following extermination and a period of recolonization, islands closer to the mainland are expected to have _?_ insect species compared to more remote islands of similar size.

more

Upon observing a golden eagle flying overhead, a sentry prairie dog puts its own safety at risk with a warning call to other foraging members of the

altrusitic behavior

An ecosystem with higher species richness is likely to be more resilient to environmental change.

true

Which is the most reasonable prediction for the population growth of Rwanda over the next generation or two? [Based on Population Pyramid video from this module (5 min)]

positive population growth

In this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem, arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species. Which species is most likely to compete with D for food?

c

Which is the most reasonable prediction for the population growth of Japan over the next generation or two? [Based on Population Pyramid video from this module (5 min)]

decline (negative population growth)

In this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem, arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species. Which species is most likely a decomposer?

E

In this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem, arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species. Which species is a primary producer?

A??? idk

Where in the world would you find a place called "One Tree Island" with an isolated research station accessible only by boat?

Australia

Which group of organisms is most directly affected by human activities that accelerate the Carbon Cycle and cause acidification?

corals

Elizabeth Kolbert recalls her visit to an unusual natural phenomenon at Castello Aragonese in the Gulf of Naples: "When we get close enough, I start to see bubbles rising from the sea floor, like beads of quicksilver. Beds of seagrass wave beneath us." Identify the gas that produces the bubbles described by the author:

carbon dioxide

Castello Aragonese in the Gulf of Naples provides a natural experiment where scientists can study the effects of differing pH levels on the biology of the local marine ecosystem. Kolbert claims that "Here it is possible to swim... in the seas of tomorrow today." What does she mean by this? Why would the pH of the oceans change dramatically in many places across the world?

Human activities are accelerating the Carbon Cycle, causing an average increase in global temperatures.

[Based on Mt. St. Helens video from this module] The pocket gopher is "fossorial" or lives underground. This is an important component of its

ecological niche

All species are equally important to the overall function of an ecosystem.

False

[Based on Mt. St. Helens video from this module] Which vocabulary term best describes the role of the northern pocket gopher in this community?

keystone species

Which is the pattern of spacing for individuals within the boundaries of the population?

dispersion

Which island would likely have the LOWEST extinction rate?

A

Which is the most reasonable prediction for the population growth of Canada over the next generation or two? [Based on Population Pyramid video from this module (5 min)]

very slow but positive growth, or approximately zero growth

Based on the figure, which of the following statements correctly interprets the data?

Clutch size is inversely related to density of breeding pairs.

The number of species present in a habitat is called

richness

Let's imagine four plant communities made up of fictional species.

Creepy Forest has three tree species. (40% shadow fir, 30% spooky pine, 30% craggy oak)

Fancy Forest has four tree species. (90% bright pine, 5% wand willow, 3% happy apple, and 2% smooth oak)

Dry Desert has one tree species. (100% miniature mesquite)

Soupy Swamp has two tree species. (85% knotty mangrove, 15% frog cypress)

Which community is most diverse in terms of relative abundance (or evenness)?

Creepy forest?

In the 1990s, the first strong clues to indicate a link between Carbon Dioxide levels and the effects of acidification on marine life came from

an indoor biosphere experiment in Arizona.