Ecology Exam 1

If one were interested in determining whether all species of fireflies have the same flash pattern, one would likely start by

making observations

Scientists studying climate change are likely addressing the issue at the

biosphere level

Fluctuating numbers of predator and prey, like wolves and moose on Isle Royale in Lake Superior, is an example of studying ecology from a

Population approach

When one studies a particular stream at various times of the year noting changes in species richness (the number of species present in the stream), one is likely studing ecology from a

community approach

Organisms that feed on dead plants and or animals are

detritivores

The area where one might expect to find a certain species of plant growing would be termed its

Geographic range

All the wood frogs in a 2 hectare square area of hardwood forest would be considered a

population

The fundamental unit of ecology is the

individual

An ecologist who studies populations would most likely be interest in

births and deaths of individuals that belong to a particular species in a particular place

Which is the largest ecological system in scale?

biosphere

Organisms with distinct membrane-bound cellular organelles are said to be

eukaryotic

Within a population, individuals with higher fitness tend to

produce more offspring that survive to maturity

The change in genetic composition of a population over generations is termed

evolution

The phenotype of an individual is determined in part by the individual’s

environment

The role of detritivores and decomposers in ecosystems reflect the basic fundamental principle of the

law of conservation of matter

Which relationship characterizes dynamic steady state systems?

energy flow into a system = energy flow out of a system

An adaptation an organism possesses is the result of its

genotype

Which physical principle is used to monitor the transfer of energy in ecological systems?

the first law of thermodynamics

A genotype is

an individual’s set of genes

When two species interact within a community and one of the species is unaffected by the interaction, this type of interaction would be termed

commensalism

No two species can occupy the same

niche

The fact that barred owls and red tails hawks feed on similar prey in similar habitats but a differing times of day may be evidence of evolution leading to species avoiding

competition

A lichen is an example of what type of relationship

mutualism

Predators differ from parasites in what way?

predators kill the organism they interact with

Mixotrophs tend to be

protists

The Venus flytrap, along with sundews and pitcher plants, are both photosynthetic and are

carnivores

Cyanobacteria exposed to excess nutrients (nitrogen and/or phosphorus) often respond by producing

algal blooms

The physical setting in which a species lives is its

habitat

Which source of energy is most likely to be used by fungi?

dead organisms

Chemosynthetic organisms acquire their energy from

chemical compounds

Being able to produce a similar outcome multiple times in a scientific experiment is termed

replication

Ecologists who study the mechanisms by which certain species like woodchucks (Marmota monax) hibernate would be studying ecology from

an individual approach

Which method of hypothesis testing uses environmental variance to test an otherwise difficult problem

a natural experiment

When experimental manipulations are conducted to test hypothesis, the purpose of the control is to

see how the experiment occurs without any manipulations

A proximate hypothesis

addresses immediate changes to an organism’s internal systems

The most significant factor in the increased influence of humans on ecological systems in the last century is the result of

the increased human population

The equator receives the greatest amount of solar radiation at what time of year?

autumnal equinox (September)

The greenhouse effect is so termed because

the Earth’s atmosphere acts like the glass of a greenhouse

Why is solar energy input greater near the equator than near the poles?

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1. The longer path through the atmosphere at the poles decreases solar energy.
2. Solar energy is spread over a smaller area at the equator
3. There is a higher albedo at the equator than at the poles

I and II only

Which greenhouse gas is produced only by humans?

chlorofluorocarbons

The greenhouse effect is primarily due to

the re-emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere

Land temperatures vary more in the Northern Hemisphere as compared to the Southern Hemisphere due to

there being more atmospheric water vapor in the Southern Hemisphere

Ocean currents are caused by a number of factors including unequal heating, wind direction, the Coriolis effect, as well as

varying salt content of the water

In general, when looking at the continental United States, coastal areas have a more moderate climate than areas more towards the interior of the country

coastal areas are influenced by warmer air from the oceans

Areas along the western coasts of continents that are rich in biological productivity due to high nutrient levels are called

upwellings

Based on your knownledge of the ocean conveyor belt, how might melting ice in the Arctic Ocean affect the climate of Europe?

decreased temperatures in western Europe

What process causes El Nino-Southern Oscillation events?

weak prevailing winds in the Southern Hemisphere

Which does NOT drive ocean gyres?

coastal upwelling

Rain shadows primary occur

near large mountains

In a Climate Diagram, when the average temperature line is above the precipitation line, this indicates that

plant growth is limited by precipitation

On a Climate Diagram, the shaded area noted on the x-axis indicates

the growing season for a particular biome

Convergent evolution leads to species that

have similar adaptations

Areas of the Earth that contain communities composed of organisms that are the product of convergent evolution are called

biomes

Which biome has the highest average precipitation?

temperate rainforest

Which continent does NOT include a boreal forest biome?

South America

What information is NOT displayed in a climate diagram?

when growth is limited by nutrients

Convergent evolution

results in similar growth forms in different parts of the world

Biomes with 12-month growing seasons include all EXCEPT the

temperate rainforest biome

The biome associated with permafrost is the

tundra

Desert biomes are typically located

at latitudes between 30 N and 30 S

Why is the tundra biome often referred to as a frozen desert?

lack of precipitation received in the tundra

Terrestrial biomes are divided into nine major categories based on similarities in

average annual temperature and average precipitation received

What is an important feature of tropical seasonal forests?

they have two seasonal peaks of rainfall

Which biome includes maple, beech, and oak trees as a dominant feature?

temperate seasonal forest

Freshwater wetland plants are well adapted to

low oxygen concentrations in the soil

Typically in a lake or pond during the summer months, the warmest water is found in the

epilimnion

The region of a lake where photosynthetic algae species would NOT be found would be the

profundal zone

It is generally considered that the difference between ponds and lakes is that

ponds are smaller

In aquatic systems, like rivers and streams, organic material in the system may have two origins.

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Which statement is TRUE?

leaves and branches falling into a stream would be considered allochtonous

Terrestrial vegetation that borders streams and rivers and is often influenced by seasonal flooding is termed

riparian

What is the primary cause of higher productivity in the photic zone of the ocean?

increased photosynthesis

Which biome contains emergent trees?

swamps

In larger rivers, the major source of organic material is usually

autochthonous sources

What is NOT used to categorize aquatic biomes?

temperature

Cell membranes that allow only certain molecules to pass through them are said to be

semi-permeable

Lakes impacted by acid rain typically have pH levels between

4-6

The invasive species zebra mussels (Dreissna polymorpha) may be found infesting some lakes but not others.

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A possible physiological reason for such a distribution pattern might be?

Some lakes have higher calcium levels than others

As water temperature increases, the potential saturation level of minerals in the water

increases

Water is a powerful solvent due to

the polar nature of the molecule

Diatoms, one of the most widely distributed algae types, have an outer shell composed of

silica

An adaptation that some aquatic species have for efficient movement through water is

a streamlined body form

Kelp use ___ to float on the surface of the water for photosynthesis

gas-filled bulbs in their leaf-like blades

For some fish species, their swim bladder adjusts the density of their bodies to be ___ that of the surrounding water, which facilitates energy efficient movement through the water

equal to

Water has a high specific heat and thus

changes temperature slowly

Which water system would you expect to have the lowest dissolved-nutrient content?

a rain-fed stream

How does the viscosity of water affect movement in small aquatic animals?

It prevents them from sinking

Which occurs as water cools below 4 C?

it decreases in density

Application of road salt, as a means of keeping roads passable during winter months in communities that experience heavy snowfall, may also negatively impact aquatic organisms in the spring, when the snows melt and the road salt enters into water bodies.

\n This negative impact stems from the fact that

Road salt increases the solute content in water bodies

Sharks are adapted to the saltwater environment by

increasing the solute content in their bloodstream

A difference between freshwater and saltwater fishes is that

saltwater fishes excrete more solute

Without adaptations to control the movement of water and salts across their external surfaces, what would happen to marine animals?

they would accumulate too much salt in their cells

The standard deviation of a sample is

a measure of how widely the data are spread

The “Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Mississippi River enters the Gulf, is said to be hypoxic.

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This means that in this area

there is too little oxygen to support life

It has been reported that embryos of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and an algae species have developed a **______** relationship that increases the oxygen content provided to the salamander embryo.

mutualistic

An adaptation that some gilled aquatic organisms have for surviving in low-oxygen environments is

a countercurrent circulation

Oxygen levels in deep water tend to be low due to

less sunlight

The boundary layer refers to

the region of unstirred air or water that surrounds the surface of an organism

Why are deep ocean waters typically low in oxygen?

a lack of photosynthetic organisms

What is the effect of a boundary layer in a photosynthetic organism?

it slows the rate of gas diffusion

Coral bleaching is believed to be associated with

increased water temperature