ecology 301

net primary productivity is calculated as

GPP - respiration

units of GPP

kJ/m2/y

which of the following factors is NOT used for quantifying primary productivity over time?

change in consumer biomass

Which is the portion of energy that an organism uses to maintain its body temperature?

respired

Terrestrial NPP is greatest in _____ ecosystems, and aquatic NPP is greatest in _____ ecosystems.

tropical; coastal

Between latitudes of 30° N and 30° S, NPP is primarily constrained by

precipitation

In aquatic ecosystems, trophic pyramids of biomass are inverted because

the standing biomass of algae is lower than the standing biomass of consumers

Assimilation energy is the percentage of consumed energy that is

digested and absorbed

Aquatic ecosystems typically have ¬¬¬¬¬_____ trophic levels, while terrestrial ecosystems typically have _____ trophic

5; 3-4

A trophic level has a biomass residence time of 5 years and net productivity of 3 kg/m2/y. What is the biomass in the trophic level?

15 kg/m2

Chose a logical path for a molecule of water starting and ending in the atmosphere.

precipitation, infiltration, evaporation, condensation

Which statement is TRUE about the global hydrologic cycle?- Precipitation is greater than evaporation in terrestrial ecosystems.

Precipitation and evaporation are about equal in terrestrial ecosystems

In waterlogged conditions, anaerobic metabolism of carbon compounds can cause the production of the greenhouse gas

methane (CH4)

Nitrogen-fixing plants such as soybeans are able to convert

atmospheric nitrogen to nitrate and ammonium

Which is NOT an example of a major human alteration to the global nitrogen cycle?

Animal waste from agriculture

Dead zones are formed when rivers that empty into oceans carry excess phosphorus and nitrate runoff. These dead zones are caused by

algal blooms

Which of the following does NOT significantly affect terrestrial decomposition rates?

phosphorus content of litter

Decomposition is more rapid in _____ forests because of _____.

tropical; increased temperature and precipitation

In the study of leaf decomposition in a stream in Germany using leaf litter enclosed in either fine- or large-mesh bags, researchers found that decomposition was strongly affected by

invertebrates and lignin content

which is not an adaptation to low oxygen aquatic environment

increased metabolic activity

Match adaptation to benefit
prevent loss of leaf tissue
produce boundary layer of still air
able to take up water after brief rainfall
protect plants from slow water loss

small leaves with high density veins;
spines and hairs;
shalllow roots;
resin

a fish that has tissue solute concentrations that are higher than surround waters

is hyperosmotic; trying to not drink the environmental water in attempt to maintain internal water concentrations

photosynthesis occurs in two steps known as ___ and the ____

light; calvin

why are both CO2 and O2 limited in aquatic environments?

not very soluble in water

a smallmouth bass swimming in cold water of a springtime lake would likely expend ______ energy than when swimming in warmer water of lake during the summer

more

the temp that water reaches maxx density

4 degree Celsius

rate of biological processes increases two to four times for each ___ increase in temp

10 deg C

fish obtain oxygen from the water through their gills using

countercurrent circulation

which photosynthsis method is best suited to warm dry environment

C4 fixation and CAM

aquatic organisms have developed streamline shapes to adapt to the

viscosity of water

a plant with high number of stomata

high rate of transpiration

the low density of ice

allows aquatic plants to survive the winter

primary cause of coral bleaching

increased water temperature

waters polar nature

makes it a good solvent

T/F adding dissolved compounds such as salt to water increases the boiling point and inc freezing point

false

anaerobic condition

more common in deep water than shallow

spotted salamanders lay eggs in gelatinous masses on twigs partially submerged in small ponds. associated with the eggs scientists have found mutualistic relationship with the developing eggs. what benefit does the salamander recieve from this relationship

salamander embryos recieve increased oxygen supply

which does not limit the ability of aquatic plants to photosynthesize

high levels of carbonic acid

which is not a true statement

all ectotherms are poikilotherms

which of the following is not a part of carbon equilibrium in water

ammonia

availability of soil nutrients varies with

presence other ions
soil temp
pH

photosynthesis primarily allows plants to produce

glucose

which is not an adaptation that exploits the density of water

long, filamentous appendages

a liquid with low pH would have a ___ H+ concentration and would be called

high ; acidic

T/F: energy benefit of resource item/ handling time = amount of energy gained per unit time

true

T/F: some foragers consume a singular food type as a diet mixing foraging response because one type of food will provide all the necessary nutrients

false

changes in ____ and _____ are often relatively slow phenotypic responses

morphology; life history

this figure shows the tail shape developed by 3 tadpole genotypes (M,N,O) when raised in an environment with predators and an environment without predators. in the presence of predators, tadpoles with large tails have high fitness and tadpoles with small tails have low fitness. when predators arent present tadpoles with large tails have low fitness and tadpoles with small tails have high fitness. which genotypes exhibit phenotypic plasticity in response to predators

O only

when the protist Euplotes detects predators, it grows wings and other projections to discourage predators. however developing the projections and wings slows down growth is an example of

phenotypic tradeoffs; phenotypic plasticity

based on the central place foraging theory and the figure, identify the optimal # prey for forarger to catch

8 prey

in response to a specific type of environmental variation, the Burmese phython can drastically increase the size of its heart and length of intestines in fewer than 2 days. what environmental variation causes this drastic change

variation in availability of food

T/F: slow environmental fluctuations favor slow phenotypic responses, whereas rapid fluctuations favor rapid phenotypic responses

true

If a goldfish is acclimated at 25°C, at which temperature would we expect the fish to swim fastest?

25 deg C

which of the following are phenotypically plastic responses of plants to reduced water availability

close stomata in leaves; increase the root/shoot ratio

Consider a mouse that can forage in one of two fields. The south field has three times more seeds than the north field. However, an owl (a predator that eats mice) lives at the south field. The mouse forages in the north field despite the fact that it contains less food. This is an example of:

risk sensitive foraging

since resources vary in ____ and ___ no single foraging strategy can maximize an animals fitness

space and time

different species of birds found feeding in different parts of same forest canopy at the same time may be an example of

microhabitat differences

the average annual rainfall measured in a desert over 10 years is which type of variation

climate

consider the figure, which shows how Virginia pepperweed responds to herbivores. which of the following conclusions can we make soley using the data

plants increased glucosinolate production when aphids were present and plants with more glucosinolate and trichomes had fewer aphids

which of the following is an example of weather

A single location received 10 cm of snow on January 1, 2011, but no snow on January 2, 2011

what is the risk to a species of inbreeding depression?

an increased likelihood of deleterious genes being inherited from both egg and sperm

When humans move from low elevations to high elevations, it typically takes one or more weeks for their bodies to improve their ability to carry oxygen. This is an example of

acclimation

a scientist is studying a bird that forages for worms and takes them back to their nest. if the relation between search time and the # prey caught remains constant but the scientist moves the food closer, what change in the birds beahvior would central place foraging predict?

fewer worms would be brought back per trip

a preadtor should always eat the prey species that provides the highest amount of energy gained per unit time ... this is for the ______ response to food variation

optimal

the figure shows plant growth responses to variation in availibity of water. if this is an example of adaptive phenotypic plasticity how would we expect the root to shoot ratio be related to fitness

when water is scarce plants wit high root to shoot ratios have higher fitness

Many types of traits are plastic, such as

behavior, growth, development, and reproduction

match the dormancy type to its defintion and/or example

chipmunks
shutting down of metabolic processes during summer in responses to heat
crocodiles
west indian hummingbird
complete physiological shutdown
brief period of dormancy in which individuals reduce activity

hibernation
aestivation
aestivation
torpor
diapause
torpor

what is not a reason why cold regions with high rainfall are rare

water doesnt evaporate at high temps, cold atmosphere holds lots of water vapor

albedo is the fraction of solar energy reflected by an object. Forests have a ____ albedo and snow has a ____ albedo

low; high

which of the following does not drive ocean currents

continental water sources

As a river flows downstream, it generally

has more nutrients

Manure from a farming operation that enters into a stream would be considered

allochthonous

In areas with significant leaching, which soil horizon would be largest?

E

Compared to coastal regions, the interior of a continent usually has _____ precipitation and ______ variation in climate.

less; more

In which aquatic environment are organisms most likely to produce bioluminescence?

aphotic zones

an important characteristic of a stream is

high allochthonous input

The aphotic zone is a feature in

open ocean

The energy of incident solar radiation reaching the surface of Earth declines toward the poles from its maximum in equatorial regions. Why is this?

the tilt of earth increases the reflection of solar radiation

which of the following is the most likely reason a soil would not have an O horizon

soil is in a desert

Oceans and lakes cover ___ % in Northern Hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore ______ rain falls in the Northern Hemisphere

lower; less

based on the image below, identify the latent heat movement. A is representing of _____ and B is representing of ______

absorbed and released

which is a unique characteristic of estuaries

mixing of fresh and salt water

which of the following is used to distinguish aquatic biomes

salinity depth flow

many factors create ocean currents. some factors are

unequal heating; salinity; coriolis effect; wind directions

What kind of oceanic circulation would you predict for the western coasts of continents?

cold currents moving from poles toward equator

plant growth and its growing season can be constrained by _____ and ______

temperature and precipitation

which combination of factors causes the fastest nutrient cycling in a biome

high precipitation and high temperatures

ocean zone with the highest productivity is the

neritic zone

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

sinking polar water with high salinity

a symbiotic relationship with algae is central to

coral reefs

Lakes are generally divided into zones, each of which has unique physical and biological attributes. In which zone would you expect to find rooted vegetation?

littoral

in which lake zone would photosynthesis not occur

profundal zones

here is a table of 4 populations of dragons with allele frequencies that relate to breathing fire over 10 years, which of the populations evolved?

populations 2, 3

Body size is a heritable trait in the amphipod, an aquatic crustacean. Fish preferentially consume large amphipods, leaving primarily small amphipods to breed. Based on these observations, how would we expect evolution to affect ponds with and without fish?

ponds with fish should have smaller amphpods

shown below are pictures of Arabidopsis spp. which typically has 4 flowers as in the picture on the left. the picture on the right represents a flower from an organism where a change occured inthe nucleotide sequence of the sex cells of its parents. this example represents the mechanism of evolution called _______

mutation

Consider a gene that affects fur color in mice. This gene has two alleles, A and a. If AA mice have white fur, Aa mice have gray fur, and aa mice have black fur, how would we describe the effect of these alleles?

A and a are codominant

When a parental generation undergoes stabilizing selection, how will the distribution of phenotypes in the population change between the parental generation and their progeny?

mean phenotype stays the same, but variability decreases

what process creates new alleles in a population

mutation

Evolution by artificial selection is similar to evolution by natural selection because
I. both require traits to be heritable.
II. both incorporate founder effects.
III. both generate differences in fitness between individuals.

I, III

based on the phylogeny in the figure, which group is most closely related to reptiles

mammals