Ecology, Biodiversity, and Invasive Species in Florida Ecosystems

What is the primary ecological role of the Kissimmee River Watershed in the South Florida Ecosystem?

a) Provides saltwater flow into Biscayne Bay

b) Pumps freshwater into Lake Okeechobee

c) Prevents hurricanes from reaching Florida

d) Supplies critical mission training directly to coral reefs

b

Name one natural disturbance important for maintaining Florida's ecosystem.

Hurricanes and wildfires

At FIU's Modesto Maidique Campus (MMC), the Nature Preserve represents which three Florida Everglades ecosystems?

a) Coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds

b) Pine rocklands, tropical hardwood hammocks, freshwater wetlands

c) Freshwater marshes, pinelands, estuaries

d) Salt marshes, dunes, oyster reefs

b

The Australian Pine (Casuarina equisetifolia) is an invasive tree species threatening mangrove habitats around BBC and Oleta River State Park.

True or False

True

Which of the following best describes a null hypothesis (H₀)?

a) The number of individuals in a species

b) The relative abundance of species

c) The total number of species in a community

d) No correlation between independent and dependent variables

d

The alternative hypothesis (Hₐ) states that there is a correlation between independent and dependent variables.

True or False

True

What is one limitation of iNaturalist data that might affect biodiversity research?

It doesn't include every organism existing in the ecosystem.

Match the trophic level with the correct description:

1. Primary Producer

2. Consumer

3. Decomposer

a. Breaks down dead or decaying organisms

b. Must eat to obtain energy

c. Makes its own energy through biochemical processes

EX on how to answer:

1;a

2;b

3;c

1;c

2;b

3;a

Which of the following best describes a habitat?

a) A group of ecosystems with similar climates

b) An area inhabited by a particular species

c) The genetic diversity within a species

d) A graphical model of energy flow

b

Which of the following is the correct binomial name for the lion?

a) Panthera leo (italicized)

b) panthera leo

c) Panthera leo

d) Panthera Leo (italicized & underlined)

a

Which tool did you use in Lab 2 to map and compare the 2014 and current boundaries of the FIU Nature Preserve?

a) ArcGIS

b) Google Earth Pro

c) QGIS

d) Excel

b

What was one difference you noticed between the 2014 and present-day MMC Nature Preserve boundaries

The current MMC Nature Preserve boundary is smaller because athletic fields were added.

According to the 10% Rule of energy transfer, if producers in an ecosystem have 3,500,000 kilocalories, how much energy is available to the primary consumers?

a) 350,000 kcal

b) 35,000 kcal

c) 3,500 kcal

d) 350 kcal

a

Food chains provide a complete and 100% accurate model of ecosystem feeding relationships.

True or False

False

Which of the following is an example of low-quality iNaturalist data that could reduce biodiversity analysis reliability?

a) Observations with no photos or audio recordings

b) Misidentified species

c) Incomplete location or time information

d) All of the above

d

Which of the following is not a prokaryotic domain?

a) Eubacteria (Bacteria)

b) Archaea

c) Eukarya

d) Cyanobacteria

c

Match the organism group with the correct description:

1. Euglenozoa

2. Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae)

3. Brown Algae (Phaeophyta)

4. Dinoflagellates

a. Cause red tides

b. Can photosynthesize and move with a flagellum

c. Silica shells, make oxygen

d. Seaweeds like Sargassum

EX on how to answer:

1;a

2;b

3;c

1;b

2;c

3;d

4;a

Diatoms, Brown Algae, and Dinoflagellates all belong to the same supergroup. Which is it?

a) Excavata

b) SAR

c) Plants

d) Animals

b

Diatoms move actively through their environment using flagella.

True or False

False

Why is it important for scientists to use scientific names rather than common names when discussing species across regions?

Because scientific names are specific to each species and are universal, while common names can vary universally.

Which of the following is a characteristic of Archaea that distinguishes them from Bacteria?

a) They contain peptidoglycan in their cell walls

b) They often live in extreme environments

c) They are always multicellular

d) They lack ribosomes

b

Match the bacterial cell shape to its description:

1. Bacillus

2. Coccus

3. Spirillum

a. Spiral-shaped

b. Spherical

c. Rod-shaped

EX on how to answer:

1;a

2;b

3;c

1;c

2;b

3;a

What is the primary ecological role of heterotrophic bacteria in ecosystems?

They decompose organic matter and recycle nutrients.

Cyanobacteria are important because they...

a) Fix nitrogen but do not produce oxygen

b) Are multicellular autotrophs in the Eukarya domain

c) Produce oxygen through photosynthesis

d) Only exist in symbiotic relationships with fungi

c

Which eukaryotic supergroup contains diatoms, brown algae, and dinoflagellates?

a) Excavata

b) Archaeplastida

c) SAR

d) Unikonta

c

In protostomes, the mouth forms first.

True or False

True

Which phylum are sponges (simple animals with pores)?

a) Porifera

b) Cnidaria

c) Platyhelminthes

a

Which of these belongs to Class Hydrozoa?

a) Hydra

b) jellyfish (aurelia)

c) Snail (Liguus)

a

Which cnidarian group is medusa-dominant (mostly jellyfish)?

a) Hydrozoa

b) Anthozoa

c) Scyphozoa

c

What are the stinging cells used by cnidarians called?

Cnidocyte

Which of the following correctly matches a phylum with its body plan or symmetry?

a) Porifera - asymmetrical, no true tissues

b) Cnidaria - diploblastic, radial symmetry

c) Platyhelminthes - triploblastic, acoelomate

d) Nematoda - triploblastic, pseudocoelomate

e) All of the above

e

Match the phylum with the correct description:

1. Porifera

2. Cnidaria

3. Platyhelminthes

4. Nematoda

a. Diploblastic animals with radial symmetry and stinging cells

b. Simplest animals that lack true tissues, porous filter feeders

c. Triploblastic pseudocoelomates with complete digestive trac

d. Triploblastic acoelomates, incomplete digestive tract

EX on how to answer:

1;a

2;b

3;c

1;b

2;a

3;d

4;c

What are the three germ layers of triploblastic animals?

Endoderm, Mesoderm, Ectoderm

Cnidarians alternate between two main body forms: the _____ stage, which is sessile and cylindrical, and the _____ stage, which is free-floating and umbrella-shaped.

- polyp

- medusa

Flatworms (Platyhelminthes) are limited in their ability to evolve complex organ systems because...

a) They lack mesoderm

b) They are diploblastic

c) They have no body cavity (acoelomate)

d) They only reproduce asexually

c

Which of the following is not one of the four supergroups within Domain Eukarya?

a) Excavata

b) Archaeplastida

c) Prokaryota

d) SAR

c

What is the main difference between a closed and open circulatory system?

Open systems lack blood vessels; blood flows freely through body cavities and vice versa.

Which annelid class includes worms with parapodia used for locomotion and sometimes defense?

a) Oligochaeta

b) Hirudinea

c) Polychaeta

d) Cephalopoda

c

Earthworms have both male and female reproductive systems. What is the term for this condition?

Hermaphroditic

Arthropods have bodies divided into three main regions. Which of the following lists them in the correct order?

a) Head, Abdomen, Thorax

b) Head, Thorax, Abdomen

c) Cephalothorax, Abdomen, Tail

d) Mandibles, Thorax, Abdomen

b