ecology final from previous exams msstate Dr. Nathan Wisnoski

this is questions from previous exams!:) academic year- (spring 2024)

Natural Selection

Effect on genetic variation within a population-can reduce it but not create it

Effect on divergence between isolated populations- tends to increase

Genetic drift

Effect on genetic variation within a population-reduces

Effect on divergence between isolated populations-increases

Mutation

Effect on genetic variation within a population-increases

Effect on divergence between isolated populations-increases

gene flow `

Effect on genetic variation within a population-increases

Effect on divergence between isolated populations-decreases

Rank the following biomes in order of their tree canopy density, from highest to lowest canopy density: savanna, tropical rain forest, tundra, temperate, forest

I. Tropical rain forest (highest)

II. Temperate forest

III. savanna

IV. Tundra (lowest)

The rise of modern ecology is marked by a shift from quantitative measurements towards lengthy descriptions of natural phenomena

False

the close matching between animal morphology and function has been noted as early as the 300s BCE by philosophers such as Aristotle.

True

Models are always preferable to experiments because they use mathematics and computers and are therefore more rigorous

false

Ecological systems are organized hierarchically, spanning scales from individual organisms to the entire biosphere

True

Most of Earth’s biodiversity is located within the temperate regions due to their high precipitation and mild temperatures.

False

Oceans have strong depth gradients; most ocean life is in the phonic zone

true

First-order streams/ rivers are extremely rare and correspond to large rivers like the Mississippi or Amazon

False

In an energy budget, energy intake must equal the sum of energy allocated to different organismal processes

True

We saw examples of where species had drastic, rapid reductions in population size, but later recovered. If the population recovered, why is this drastic reduction so detrimental?

The genetic variation is way lower- this could cause defects, mutations, etc

the bottle neck effect happened

Draw a line from the season of the year to the corresponding diagram of the lake. Note that a diagram can have multiple lines connected to it

.

( look at picture attached) Which evolutionary process (selection, drift, gene flow, mutation) do you think most likely caused this pattern? If you say selection, specify whether this was stabilizing, directional;, or disruptive selection

Natural selection was most likely the cause of this pattern. As I said it was selection, the graph demonstrates a directional selection as the beak size changed with the species adapting

(look at the picture attached ) Based on this pattern, do you think local adaptions has likely occurred across the species range of the soapberry bug? Why or why not?

Yes as the beak length grows so does the fruit radius. As the fruit gets bigger the soapberry bug needs to adapt to be able to eat it.

What is a trade-off? Describe an example of a trade-off (real or hypothetical) that an individual might face?

refers to the situation where an organism faces a limited amount of resources (energy, nutrients, or time) and must allocate those resources to different life processes. like maybe an organism is limited in energy but it produce food for an organism that will protect it

We saw an example of how flower preferences of pollinators can influence reproductive isolation between two plant species? Is pollinator preferences an example of a prezygotic or postzygotic barrier to reproduction.

The pollinator preference is an example of prezygotic barrier as it happens before the flower reproduces