Ecology Ch 1 Practice Exam

Which of the following is an example of interconnectedness in nature?

a. A cactus in the desert that does not interact with other organisms

b. A large tree providing shade to a rock beneath it

c. A bee pollinating a daisy

c. A bee pollinating a daisy

Which of the following is NOT part of Life’s Hierarchy of Organization?

a. System

b. Biosphere

c. Family

d. Molecule

c. Family

What is the LEAST complex level of Life’s Hierarchy of Organization?

a. Organism

b. Molecule

c. Cell

d. Biosphere

c. Cell

Which statement best reflects the ecological principle regarding Carrying Capacity?

a. A population of salamanders grows rapidly, but never seems to exceed

200 due to space.

b. A flock of birds keeps doubling yearly during migration, even though quality habitat is

decreasing.

c. A single oak tree is the tallest in the forest

d. Herds of buffalo continue to breed without being limited by resources

a. A population of salamanders grows rapidly, but never seems to exceed

200 due to space.

What is an example of a short-term change?

a. Pangea

b. Fossilization

c. Ocean currents

d. Wildfire

d. Wildfire

Which of the following is NOT a LOCAL reason why space matters in the natural

world?

a. Presence/absence of species

b. Soil salinity

c. Species pool

d. Nutrients in soil

c. Species pool

Which of the following is NOT a present-day ecological concept?

a. Each species has a distinct role to play in maintaining that balance.

b. Seemingly random perturbations can play an important role in system health

c. Different species often respond in different ways to changing conditions

d. Natural systems do not necessarily return to their original state after a

disturbance

a. Each species has a distinct role to play in maintaining that balance.

Which of the following is an example of an observational field study?

a. Scientists deploy an Autonomous Recording Unit (ARU) to record

natural bird sounds in an urbanized environment

b. A soil microbiologist analyzes samples in a lab to measure pH and bacteria

c. A farmer uses different fertilizers to see which grows corn the fastest

d. In a lab, a zoologists tests white-blood-cells of a lion in a zoo

a. Scientists deploy an Autonomous Recording Unit (ARU) to record

natural bird sounds in an urbanized environment

Which of the following scenarios showcases the principle that "correlation does not

imply causation"?

a. Increased physical activity improves the mental health of tested individuals

b. Shark attack incidents correlate to ice cream sales during the summer

c. Destruction of habitat causes decreased biodiversity in cities

b. Shark attack incidents correlate to ice cream sales during the summer

What is required to prove causation?

a. A control group

b. Randomly assigned treatments

c. All of the above

c. All of the above

List and briefly describe the 8 Themes of Ecology

1. All life is interconnected

2. Everything goes somewhere

3. No population can increase in size forever

4. There is no free lunch

5. Evolution matters

6. Time matters

7. Space matters

8. Life would be impossible without species interactions

1. All life is interconnected

2. Everything goes somewhere

3. No population can increase in size forever

4. There is no free lunch

5. Evolution matters

6. Time matters

7. Space matters

8. Life would be impossible without species interactions

Describe how amphibians are “biological indicators” of environmental

problems

• Skin is permeable; pollutant molecules can pass through easily.

• Eggs have no protective shell.

• They spend part of their life on land and part in water—exposed to pollutants

and UV in both environments.

• Remain close to birthplace- local conditions.

• Skin is permeable; pollutant molecules can pass through easily.

• Eggs have no protective shell.

• They spend part of their life on land and part in water—exposed to pollutants

and UV in both environments.

• Remain close to birthplace- local conditions.