biology
Chapter 56
Which of the following correctly describes an ecosystem?
Answer: All species that occur in a particular location, in addition to the abiotic environment that influences those species.Which of the following correctly describes ecosystem stability?
Answer: When an ecosystem maintains consistent species richness and composition.Check each of the following ecosystem traits that you would expect to increase as species richness of the ecosystem increases.
Answer:Biomass
Stability
Productivity
Which of the following is a producer?
Answer: Pine tree.A(n) _______ is a permeable underground layer of rock, sand, and gravel saturated with groundwater.
Answer: Aquifer.Heterotrophs must obtain organic molecules that have been synthesized by:
Answer: Autotrophs.Only about _______ of the sunlight falling on plant leaves is captured by photosynthesis.
Answer: 1%.Which of the following terms describes the position of the vampire squid in the deep-sea trophic pyramid?
Answer: Detritivore.Over tropical rainforest areas, approximately 90% of the water that reaches the atmosphere comes from:
Answer: Plant transpiration.The scarcity of which two elements limits plant growth?
Answer: Nitrogen, phosphorus.The net weight of all the organisms living in an ecosystem is its:
Answer: Biomass.Which one of the following factors would NOT influence the productivity of an ocean community?
Answer: The amount of rainfall.During the 1960s, a group of scientists in the northeastern United States conducted an experiment at Hubbard Brook, New Hampshire. A 38-acre watershed was completely deforested and the runoff (water flow) monitored for several years. What did they find?
Answer: A tremendous increase in the amount of runoff and nitrogen release from Hubbard Brook compared to the control.In the food chain below, what does the garden spider represent?
Answer: Primary carnivore.
(Food chain: crabgrass—cricket—garden spider—blue jay—red-tailed hawk.)According to MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeography theory, which of the following would be expected to have the smallest species richness?
Answer: A small island far from the mainland.The tropics are known to have greater species diversity than the temperate zones. Which explanation for this phenomenon is the LEAST convincing?
Answer: Fewer predators in the tropics allow more prey species to flourish.Phosphorus deficiency often appears early in plant growth and results in stunting. Which of the following are reasons why a deficiency in phosphorus would cause growth abnormalities in plants? (Check all that apply.)
Answer:
Phosphorus is required for the storage and transfer of energy.
Phosphorus is required for DNA replication.
Phosphorus is necessary for building molecules in the cell membrane.
Without phosphorus, cellular replication is impeded.
Chapter 57
Which of the following correctly describes a biome?
Answer: A type of terrestrial ecosystem that is distinguished by its climate.
Which of the following are characteristics of biomes? (Check all that apply)
Answer:A biome is a large geographical area with distinctive plant and animal groups.
The climate and geography of a region determines what type of biome can exist in that region.
Temperate evergreen forest is one of the major biomes.
What is the importance of the photic zone in aquatic habitats?
Answer: The photic zone is where most primary production occurs.
To increase the sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) population in three coastal lakes, researchers in Alaska treated ponds with fertilizers. This increased the zooplankton biomass between 40% and 700% in the three lakes. The substantial growth in zooplankton would suggest that prior to these experiments, these lakes were _______.
Answer: Oligotrophic.
While visiting the South Island of New Zealand, you notice that conditions vary sharply across the island. The West Coast is very wet and receives between 600 and 1600 mm of rainfall per year, while the East Coast only receives about 640 mm of rain per year and is very dry. What best explains this regional difference in precipitation?
Answer: The presence of mountains along the West Coast.
The great deserts and associated arid areas of the world mostly lie along the western sides of the continents at about:
Answer: 30° north and south latitude.
Drifting freely in the upper, well-illuminated waters of the ocean, a diverse biological community exists, primarily consisting of microscopic organisms called:
Answer: Phytoplankton.
During an ecology field trip to a lake, your professor asks you to take temperature readings at various depths and record your data. At 5 meters, you note a temperature of 25°C, at 10 meters you record a temperature of 10°C, and at 20 meters and below, the temperature stays around 8°C. The temperature readings of 25°C, 10°C, and 8°C represent the:
Answer: Epilimnion, thermocline, and hypolimnion.
Destruction of which biome would result in the greatest loss of biodiversity?
Answer: Tropical rain forest.
Prairie is another name for a:
Answer: Temperate grassland.
Which of the following human activities could contribute to the eutrophication of a lake? (Check all that apply)
Answer:Dumping piles of leaves near a lake.
Washing clothes with soap in the lake.
Feeding the ducks in the lake.
Fertilizing lawns near the lake.
Which of the following statements about the effects of deforestation on terrestrial ecosystems are true? (Check all that apply)
Answer:Today, deforestation is one of the greatest problems facing terrestrial ecosystems.
Deforestation can lead to loss of topsoil.
Deforestation can lead to eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems.
Your biology professor takes the class on a field trip to a local lake. You hypothesize that the lake is oligotrophic. Which observations would support this hypothesis? (Check all that apply)
Answer:The shoreline is mostly rock and sand with very little vegetative matter.
The lake has little planktonic growth.
The bottom of the lake is easily visible.
Very high solar energy input; temperature and moisture not limiting; high biomass, high total productivity; many species:
Answer: Tropical rain forest.
Tropical; grassland with scattered trees; seasonally dry; nutrient poor soils; large grazing mammals:
Answer: Savanna.
Spruce, fir; moose; deep snow, brief summer; vast sameness; marshes, lakes, and ponds:
Answer: Taiga.
An old farm that has been abandoned for 65 years is being sold to develop the land for housing. You argue against this, stating that tree removal will limit predator numbers, increase mouse populations, and lead to disease. Is this claim true or false?
Answer: True.
Chapter 58
Scientists speculate that extinctions did not occur in Africa as they did on other continents because animals coevolved with _______ in Africa.
Answer: Humans.
A friend asks you for a definition of endemic. Your response is that the word endemic means:
Answer: A species that lives in only one area of Earth.
Island species are particularly vulnerable to extinction for all of the following reasons except:
Answer: Fewer endemic species are found on islands.
Conservationists have identified 25 areas worldwide as hotspots. This means these areas:
Answer: Have high numbers of endemic species, and those numbers are decreasing.
In the last 20 years one concern of scientists who study amphibians is that:
Answer: Many species are declining or have gone extinct in recent years.
Which of the following describes an aesthetic value of biodiversity?
Answer: Tropical rainforests are extremely beautiful to see.
When New York City was given a choice to make regarding its drinking water:
Answer: They chose ecosystem maintenance over development.
An organism whose decline or removal from a habitat causes many other species numbers to change dramatically is called __________ species.
Answer: A keystone.
Match the correct case study in conservation biology with its animal:
Answer:Fruit bats — introduction of new species.
Prairie chickens — loss of genetic diversity.
Songbirds — introduction of new species.
Whales — pollution.
Lake Victoria cichlids — loss of habitat.
Sea otters have been used as an example of the "Keystone Species" concept. This means that sea otters:
Answer: Exert a strong influence on the structure and functioning of their ecosystem.
The West African black rhino was declared extinct in 2006. What is the most likely reason for its extinction?
Answer: Overexploitation.
The various endemic cichlid species of Lake Victoria have suffered losses due to the introduction of:
Answer: The Nile perch.
A scientist studied peregrine falcons to determine why their numbers were declining. She determined that:
Answer: The levels of DDT in the environment were having a detrimental effect on eggs (causing the eggshells to be too thin).
A restoration project focused on the removal of levees and the improvement of water quality is a plan focused on:
Answer: Restoration of ecosystem functioning.
Chapter 55
Which of the following correctly describes a biological community?
Answer: All species that occur in the same location.
Check all of the following statements that represent an example of predation.
Answer:A deer eats the leaves of a tree.
A snail eats a clam.
Which of the following most accurately describes how disturbance can affect species richness?
Answer: Moderate disturbance often leads to an increase in species richness, while severe disturbance usually leads to a decrease in species richness.
Competition shapes communities because there are usually limited:
Answer: Resources.
Two species of warblers colonize the same island habitat. Both species nest in similar locations and eat the same type of prey. Eventually, competition will probably cause one species to:
Answer: Be eliminated.
In ______ mimicry, unprotected species resemble others that are distasteful.
Answer: Batesian.
In ______ mimicry, two or more unrelated but protected species resemble one another, thus achieving a kind of group defense.
Answer: Müllerian.
The way in which an organism utilizes its environment may be called:
Answer: Its niche.
A relationship in which both members benefit is called:
Answer: Mutualism.
Communities evolve to have greater biomass and species richness in a process called:
Answer: Succession.
The actual niche the organism is able to occupy in the presence of competitors is called its:
Answer: Realized niche.
Resource partitioning can often be seen in similar species that occupy the same geographic area. These species avoid competition by living in different portions of the habitat or by utilizing different food or other resources and are called ______ species.
Answer: Sympatric.
Alligators excavate holes in the bottom of bodies of water. During times of severe drought these holes act as refugia for various aquatic organisms that might perish if there were no water available. Thus, alligators in this system can be classified as a(n):
Answer: Keystone species.
A species that plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community and helps to determine the types and numbers of various other species in the community is known as:
Answer: A keystone species.
Lakes become eutrophic by:
Answer: Accumulation of organic matter.
The difference in the fundamental niche and the realized niche is:
Answer: The fundamental niche is the entire niche that a species is capable of using while the realized niche is just what is being occupied.
Two of Darwin's finches display a character displacement when they occur as sympatric species. Which of the statements correctly interprets the graph?
Answer: The two species have different beak sizes when they occur on the same island.
Which statement is the correct interpretation of the graph?
Answer: The population of Didinium is able to increase at the expense of the Paramecium population. After a brief period both populations are able to coexist.
Cattle egrets follow African ungulates such as African buffalo around and catch insects that the buffalo flush out. Oxpeckers perch on the backs of buffalo and feed on ectoparasites that infest the buffalo. Which one of the following shows the ecological interaction that the buffalo has with each bird?
Answer: Cattle egret: commensalism; oxpecker: mutualism.
Which of the following statements about the intermediate disturbance hypothesis are true?
Answer:Intermediate disturbance should lead to increases in species richness.
An example of intermediate disturbance would be a tree fall in a mature rain forest.
Intermediate disturbance should lead to all successional stages being present in the community at the same time.
Is the process by which different kinds of organisms adjust to one another by genetic change over long periods of time:
Answer: Coevolution.
It is a situation in which a palatable organism resembles another kind of organism that is distasteful or toxic:
Answer: Batesian mimicry.
Adaptations that enable organisms to blend into their environment thereby avoiding predation:
Answer: Camouflage.
Following their respective breeding seasons, several species of hummingbirds occur at the same locations in North America and several hummingbird flowers bloom simultaneously in these habitats. These flowers seem to have converged to a common morphology and color. Birds have the most visual sensitivity to the color red. Following their breeding season, these species of hummingbirds are:
Answer: Sympatric.
Following their respective breeding seasons, several species of hummingbirds occur at the same locations in North America and several hummingbird flowers bloom simultaneously in these habitats. These flowers seem to have converged to a common morphology and color. Birds are most visually sensitive to the color red. Hummingbird flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds. Which of the following features of these flowers would indicate they have coevolved with hummingbirds?
Answer:Long tubular flowers.
Blooming time of the flowers coincides with the arrival of the hummingbirds.
Flowers produce a high volume of nectar and sugar.
Chapter 53
Tinbergen is credited with being one of the founders of the field of behavioral ________, the study of how natural selection shapes behavior.
Answer: Ecology.Animals tend to feed on prey that maximize their net energy intake. This is called the ________ theory.
Answer: Optimal foraging.Chemical signals that mediate interactions between two or more members of a given species are called ________.
Answer: Pheromones.A nonassociative learning called ________ can be defined as a decrease in response to a repeated stimulus that has no positive or negative consequences.
Answer: Habituation.As an animal matures, it forms attachments to other individuals and develops preferences. This process is called:
Answer: Imprinting.The processing of information and response in a manner that suggests thinking in the animal is called:
Answer: Cognitive behavior.By evaluating and selecting mates with superior qualities, an animal can increase its:
Answer: Reproductive success.In birds, if the offspring require extensive care, usually involving both the male and female, they are called:
Answer: Altricial species.An animal learns to associate its behavioral response with a reward or punishment in:
Answer: Operant conditioning.Who conducted the famous "imprinting" experiment on geese?
Answer: Lorenz.Research has revealed that the development of psychological well-being and growth is influenced by:
Answer: Physical contact.Social insect colonies are composed of highly specialized groups called:
Answer: Castes.Courtship is often dependent on:
Answer: A stimulus/response chain.Which of the following are used by species for navigation?
Answer:Landmarks
Magnetic fields
Stars
The sun
In an experiment studying predator and prey relationships, a scientist offers a naïve toad a bumblebee as food. The toad learns to avoid bumblebees after being stung. This is a demonstration of:
Answer: Associative learning on the toad's part.Konrad Lorenz demonstrated that newly hatched birds would direct their social behavior toward him if they saw him first after they hatched from their eggs. What is this called?
Answer: Imprinting behavior.The area over which an animal moves in the course of daily activity, but which it does not necessarily defend against other animals, is called what?
Answer: Home range.In species where the young are precocial, meaning requiring little parental care, males may be more likely to be:
Answer: Polygynous.
Chapter 54
Populations of endotherms that live in colder climates tend to have shorter ears and limbs than populations of the same species in warm climates. This is called ____________ Rule.
Answer: Allen's Rule.
Organisms such as lizards that need to maintain body temperature through external means do so by:
Answer: Sunbathing.
What environmental challenge is posed to young plants by an old growth forest?
Answer: Low light.
Why have fascinating deep-sea fish, such as the deep-sea anglerfish, never been shown live on exhibit in an aquarium?
Answer: They are adapted for high pressure, and will die at low pressure.
During the late 1800s, cattle egrets arrived in South America from Africa and began to colonize. Their range has expanded dramatically over the years. Why were they able to do this?
Answer: The habitats that they encountered in South America were suitable to them and unoccupied.
Many times species are composed of networks of distinct populations called metapopulations. When do metapopulations occur?
Answer: When suitable habitat is patchily distributed and separated by areas of unsuitable habitat.
The statistical study of populations including sex ratio, age structure, and predicting growth rates is called _________.
Answer: Demography.
A group of population members all of the same age is called a ________.
Answer: Cohort.
Why might a graduate student veto a study on the mating behavior of a small octopus?
Answer: The octopus has semelparous reproduction, and will die after laying one batch of eggs.
The size at which a population stabilizes in a particular place is defined as the __________ for that species.
Answer: Carrying capacity.
Which is an example of a density-independent factor on a population?
Answer: Weather.
A group of international students is having a heated discussion in the dining hall. One asserts, “Your country needs to get its population under control!” The Indian student replies:
Answer: Your country has the highest per capita resource consumption, ten times greater than mine.