Bio exam 1

The set of conditions in which an organism has the potential to survive and reproduce is its

fundamental niche

The greenhouse effect arises as

greenhouse gasses absorb outgoing radiation emitted by Earth's surface

How far along is the current fire season in the western U.S.?

near the beginning

Specter makes an major point that we are all entitled to our own opinions, but we are not entitled to what?

our own facts

All energy in ecosystems derives originally from the sun. After being transferred to various ecosystem compartments, where does all the energy eventually end up?

outer space

What term is used to describe species that are abundant early in succession?

pioneer species

the range of conditions under which a species can grow may be referred to as

the tolerance limits

Natural vegetation in Vankat refers to vegetation that

would be present if Europeans had not settled permanently on the continent

Sort these traits by the order of when they evolved, from earliest to latest (from most ancestral to most derived)

- cuticle (earliest) - vessel (second earliest) - seeds (third earliest) (second most recent). - flowers (most recent)

Which of the following is or are necessary for evolution by natural selection? Select all that apply

- differences among individuals in their evolutionary fitness that is related to their traits - variation among individuals in their form or function - genetic basis for variation in form or function among individuals

What factors have contributed to the current fuel load and condition in the western US?

- global warming - fire suppression - weather

Which traits are likely to be most important for pioneer plant species?

- high dispersal ability - rapid growth rate

Match pairwise species interactions with the correct interaction symbols

- host-pathogen (+,-) - resource competition (-,-) - allelopathy (-,-) - ectomycorrhizae (+,+) - arbuscular mycorrhizae (+,+) - prey and predator (+,-) - neighborhood amelioration (+,+) - corals and symbiotic algae (+,+) - intraguild predation (-,-)

Determinants of fire severity include which of the following? Select all that apply

- how dry living and dead plants are - weather - how fuel is spread out in a habitat - amount of dead plant material - climate

Species in the Cactaceae and the Euphorbiaceae (cactuses and ephorbs) evolved similar traits independently, with different evolutionary origins. These traits include which of the following?

- leaflessness - columnar growth forms - spines along ribs of the stem - capture of CO2 at night, and running the Calvin cycle to build sugar by day

Select the processes required to turn nitrogen in consumers into nitrate in the soil. Select all that apply.

- nitrification - excretion

Select all of the key soil formation processes below

- physical weathering - chemical weathering - biological weathering - input and loss of dead plant material - water infiltration and evaporation - time

According to lecture, soil includes which of the following components? Select all that apply

- rock fragments - decaying organic matter - living organisms - atmosphere or below ground gases - soil water and dissolved minerals

What structure allows plants to regulate water loss and retention, and its oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange?

- stomata - guard cells - specialized epithelial cells

Ecologists typically characterize disturbances by what characteristics? Select all that apply

- the amount of physical change or mortality occurs per unit area (e.g., per square meter) - the total amount of area affected by a disturbance - how often a disturbance tends to occur

Match the biome with its soil type

- tundra (histisol) - boreal forest (spodosol) - temperate grassland (mollisol) - temperate deciduous forest (alfisol) - temperate coniferous forest (spodosol) - temperate rainforest (spodosol) - tropical seasonal forest (ultisol) - tropical rainforest (oxisol) - shrubland (aridisol)

Select all of the greenhouse gasses below

- water vapor (h2O) - methane (CH4) - cholorflourocarbons - nitrous oxide (N20) - carbon dioxide (CO2)

According to Michael Specter, what is science denialism

Denial of basic, well-supported scientific knowledge

Which of the following refers to how an individual changes its structure or function in response to the environment?

phenotypic plasticity

Vessel tissue that function to carry water from roots upward through the plant is called

xylem

Vegetation maps are very useful tools. Nonetheless, Vankat states that we should be aware of which of the following precautions? (select all that apply)

- Different vegetation maps classify vegetation in different ways - Some maps represent what is present, and other maps represent what could be present in the absence of humans - Maps typically have discrete boundaries, whereas vegetation changes gradually across the landscape - An area on a map represented as a single type of vegetation should be considered heterogeneous, that is, a mixture of types

What are the big differences between the nitrogen cycle and the phosphorus cycle?

- The N cycle has no sedimentary compartment - The P cycle has no atmospheric compartment

Surowiecki (2004) describes the SARS outbreak of 2002-2003, and argued that scientists discovered quickly the infective agent of SARS for which of the following reasons? Select all that apply

- A diversity of scientists had a diversity of skills and backgrounds that strengthened the overall effort - They competed selfishly for pride or money or status or to keep their jobs - They collaborated, sharing insights and data

Which of these are important elements of why we should believe science, according to Oreskes?

- skepticism - expertise - consensus

Why does Hank think plants are not green? Select all that apply

- Plants use other wavelengths to build sugar from carbon dioxide and water - Plants reflect green light, so they only appear green

According to Oreskes, when is failure of a scientific idea evidence of what is right about the scientific process?

- The possibility of failure is central to a truly scientific idea - Refutation is a normal part of science

"Cultural burning" refers to

- a cultural practice by Native Americans - a time-tested landscape management strategy - using fire help rejuvenate vegetation

Select the two types of organism that live symbiotically as a lichen:

- algae - fungi

Select all the groups that are not plants

- algae - fungi - lichens

Which of the following were traits that were shown or hypothesized to benefit high elevation populations of Achillea millefolium?

- compact leaves - short stature - later flowering - earlier dormancy

In 2018, California set a record for the area burned an entire fire season. How big an area was it?

1,700,000 acres

According to Figure 4.3, the average July temperature of central New Hampshire is approximately how many degrees Celcius?

20

How many fire fighters were engaged in fighting the fires, at the time of reporting?

25,000

According to Figure 4.2, which area gets the most rainfall?

Coastal Washington

In what compartment is most of the freshwater?

Glaciers, and permanent snow and ice

Which of these people is a science journalist? Check all that apply

Michael Spector

According to Surowiecki, which of these is or are false? That is, select any of the following statements with which Surowiecki would disagree

Reliance on reputation has no negative effect on science

According to Surowiecki, which of these is or are false? That is, select any of the following statements with which Surowiecki would disagree

Scientific collaboration prevents competition among scientists

Which vegetation type in Table 3.1 has the third highest approximate mean net primary productivity?

Tropical seasonal forest

The primary determinant of the temperature of a region is

angle of Earth's surface, relative to the Sun

Oreskes argues that scientists need to become better communicators, and also that the rest of us need to become what?

better listeners

Research on local adaptation by Clausen, Keck, and Heisey in the 1930s and 1940's took place in which part of North America?

california, USA

A spatial arrangement of a population that results in most individuals having some very close neighbors is referred to as a [blank] distribution

clumped

A collection of many species living in an area would be referred to as a

community

When similar traits evolve independently in unrelated lineages of organisms, the best term for this is

convergent evolution

Stabilizing selection causes which of the following?

decreasing variation in a population

Which of these is an example of directional selection in a population?

highest survival in the shortest plants

Vertical stratification of vegetation is

horizontal layers resulting from plants of different heights

Which tissue type is associated with growth by cell division?

meristem

growth associated with making plants taller and branches longer is called

primary growth

Which type of succession would occur following volcanic eruption?

primary succession

Which type of succession would occur if all the trees in Bachelor Reserve or some other patch of forest were cut down, and the forest allowed to re-grow?

secondary succession

The process by which vegetation recovers after a fire would be referred to as

succession

Altruism is a simply a behavior in which an individual organism provides a benefit to another act a cost to itself

true

Which of the following is most similar to how Specter defines Science?

trying stuff out and seeing if it works