AP Bio Midterm-Ecology
Prairie dogs are small mammals that live in large colonies and burrows in the ground. Prairie dogs that are near their own relatives when a predator approaches are much more likely to issue a warning bark than those that are near unrelated prairie dogs. The prairie dogs that here a warning bark is more likely to hide and their Burrows Ventura main above ground. However, the prairie dog that gives a warning bark is putting itself at increased risk of being identified and killed by the predator. Which of the following prevents the most likely explanation for the behaviors described? a.)The warning bark changes the behavior of the related prairie dogs nearby, allowing the prairie dog family to have increased survival and reproduction. b.) The barking prairie dog chooses to warn other prairie dogs, leading to more prairie dogs living above ground. c.) The barking prairie dog is alerting unrelated prairie dogs to the Predator so is not giving any advantages to its own relative d.)The failure of the individual to bark when surrounded by unrelated prairie dogs ensures the survival of the individual.
a
The area covered by tropical rainforest is reduced by millions of hectares per year due to agriculture and logging. Which of the following best describes a likely result of tropical rainforest deforestation? a.) Populations of plants and animals will decrease as more rainforest disappears, leading to a decrease in biodiversity. b.) An increase in soil moisture will lead to a rapid increase in new vegetive coverage. c.) An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide will lead to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface of the Earth. d.) More oxygen will be avaible to other organisms as plant numbers decrease.
a
The lionfish is a venomous fish found primarily in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. In the 1990s, the lionfish were accidentally released into the Atlantic Ocean, where they found abundant resources and favorable environmental conditions. Which of the following scenarios is most likely to result in the lionfish having a major negative impact on the communities into which they were introduced? a.) With no natural predators, the lionfish population will become very large and outcompete native species. b.) Some native species of invertebrates will develop a resistance to lionfish venom. c.) Intraspecific competition will decrease as lionfish populations increase, leading to a loss of resources. d.) A virus that specifically infects lionfish will become more prevalent.
a
Water in a pond cotaminated with the weed killer atrazine is suspected of inhibiting development in northern leopard frongs. A team of scientists collected fertilized northern leopard frog eggs from a different pond that is not contaminated. Which of the following is the best experimental design to determine whether atrazine is responsible for inhibiting development in northern leopard frogs? a.) Place hald of the fertilized eggs in a pool of water witht the same concentration of atrazine as the contaminated pond and place the other half of the fertilized eggs in a pool of water that has no atrazine. Monitor the development of the embryos throught metamorphosis into adulthood. b.) Place all of the fertalized eggs in a pool of pond water with the smae concentration of atrazine as the contaminated pond and compare the number of frogs that reach metamorphosis to those that reach adulthood in the contaminated pond. c.) Allow all fertilized eggs to develop into adults. Expose one third of the frogs to one-hald of the concentration of atrazine in the contaminated pond and expose another one third of the frogs to the same concentration of atazine as the contaminadted pond. Leave the last one third of the frogs in water with no atrazine and note any adverse changes in the physical condition of the atrazine--treated frogs in three months. d.) Divide the fertalized eggs into three groups and expose each group to a different concentration of atrazine. Release the eggs back into the contaminated pond and chck for metamorphosis after three months.
a
Two species, A and B, occupy adjoining environmental patches that differ in several abiotic factors. When species A is experimentally removed from a portion of its patch, species B colonizes the vacant area and thrives. When species B is experimentally removed from a portion of its patch, species A does not successfully colonize the patch. Which of the statements do the data support? a.) Under natural conditions, species A is limited by competition and predation, and species B is limited by abiotic facotrs. b.) Under natural conditions, species B cannot compete with species A. c.) Under natural conditions, species B's realized niche is smaller than its fundamental niche. d.) Species B is an ecosystem engineer.
c
