Ecology Final review with test 1,2,3 Barrett

In C4 photosynthesis, an intermediate 4-C compound is transported to adjacent specialized cells called _________ where "normal" carboxylation is facilitated by RUBISCO

bundle sheaths

In logistic growth, the level at which population growth ceases is referred to as the

carrying capacity

Which of the following is not a component of plant tissue?

chitin

The pigment that absorbs energy from light in photosynthesis is

chlorophyll

Aquatic ecosystems dominated by phytoplankton typically support _____________ rates of herbivory than those in which vascular plants dominate.

higher

the value of PAR above which gross photosynthesis exceeds respiration is the

light compensation point

Which of the following breaks down the slowest during decomposition?

lignin

what is the ultimate source of genetic variation in a population

mutation

In lakes nutrients and oxygen are seasonally vertically stratified by: ___________________.

temperature

which of the following describes the kind competition that results in lower growth rates or smaller sizes among all individuals in a population?

scramble competition

homeotherms with high mass specific metabolism are likely to be

short lived

The basal metabolic rate per unit of body mass is highest in a

small homeotherm

clumping of individuals into scattered groups can result from

spatial variation in habitat availability and social behavior

In aquatic ecosystems production and decomposition are often __________________.

spatially decoupled.

during photophosphorylation (the light reaction of photosynthesis) photosynthetically active radiation generates reducing power in the form of energy trapping compounds (ATP, NADPH) and release O2 the splitting of_____________ molecules

water

Production of the predator trophic level is equal to _____kilocalories/yr in the food web illustrated in the figure below. PE: 2% I= 6 w= 2

0.08

The mean residence time of nitrogen in the total soil N compartment of the ecosystem depicted in Figure 3 is ____________________________. total soil N= 100 g N m-2 flux= 10 g N m-2 yr-1

10 years

Nitrogen turnover from total soil nitrogen pools is ________.

10% per year

A mark-recapture campaign of field mice has collected the following observations: 100 mice were captured and marked (tattoos) in an initial capture effort (M); and 100 individuals captured in a 2nd capture campaign (n) of those mice captured in second campaign 10 marked individuals are recaptured (r) of the originally marked mice (M) what is the size of the population (N)?

1000

Assimilation by the herbivore trophic level is equal to _____kilocalories/yr in the food web illustrated in the figure below. w= 3000 I= 4000

1000

Production efficiency by the herbivore trophic level is equal to _____ in the food web illustrated in the figure below. R=970 A=1000

3

An ecologist studying productivity in a grassland measures gross primary productivity as 4000 g C / m2 / yr and autotrophic respiration as 1000 g C / m2 / yr. Based on these estimates the net primary productivity would be

3000 g C / m2 / yr.

what is the current human population of united states

331 million

Atmospheric CO2 levels have increased from 280 to over ____ ppm since the Industrial Revolution.

400

what id the current global human population

7.7 billion

Respiration by the herbivore trophic level is equal to _____kilocalories/yr in the food web illustrated in the figure below. A= 1000 P= 30

970

birth rates are currently highest in countries on which continent

Africa

some desert plants take up CO2 at night through a photosynthetic pathway called

CAM

As decomposition proceeds, which molecule is lost to the atmosphere?

CO2

_______________________ have a disproportionate impact on the community structure and ecosystem functioning relative to their abundance and/or biomass.

Keystone species

The additional enzyme associated with the C4 photosynthetic pathway is called

Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase

below about 10 grams birds and mammals species employ

Poikilothermic

of all the energy acquisition strategies listed below _______ have highest assimilation efficiency

carnivores

the advantage of the C4 photosynthetic pathway is

a greater efficiency of carboxylation and water use efficiency

______________________________ changes in environmental conditions, which are common in plant succession, are brought about by the actions of organisms. a) Autogenic. b) Allogenic . c) Allergenic. d) All of these answers. e) Autozygous . f) Allopatric .

a) Autogenic.

Plant community structure along an environmental gradient can often be explained by ________________. a) a tradeoff among species with respect to competitive ability and stress tolerance. b) differences among species in their abilities to tolerate stress. c) differences among species in their resistance to herbivores. d) differences among species in their competitive abilities. e) gamma diversity.

a) a tradeoff among species with respect to competitive ability and stress tolerance.

Beta diversity refers to diversity observed a) between two sites. b) in a climax successional sere. c) at a regional scale. d) at the local scale. e) in a primary successional sere.

a) between two sites.

Competition among squirrels, deer and turkey for acorns is an example of ________ competition. a) consumption b) niche-partitioning c) encounter d) overgrowth e) pre-emption

a) consumption

Which of the following symbiotic mutualism(s) involves a fungus? a) lichens and mycorrhizae mycorrhizae b) gut microbe-ruminant interactions c) lichens d) legume-Rhizobium interactions e) legume-Rhizobium interactions, lichens, and mycorrhizae

a) lichens and mycorrhizae mycorrhizae

The view of communities, advocated by Frederick Clements, that communities are deterministic and integrated units of species, is referred to as the ______________________ concept of communities. a) organismic b) food web c) individualistic continuum d) individualistic e) unified

a) organismic

Competition among plant seedlings or barnacle species in which the occupation of space by one individual prevents establishment in that space by another individual is referred to as ________ competition. a) pre-emption b) encounter c) consumption d) overgrowth e) territorial

a) pre-emption

The progressive series of changes in community composition that follows abandonment of an agricultural field is called: a) secondary succession. b) eutrophication. c) primary succession. d) speciation. e) Devolution.

a) secondary succession.

The progressive series of changes in community composition that follows abandonment of an agricultural field is called: a) secondary succession. b) eutrophication. c) primary succession. speciation. Devolution.

a) secondary succession.

Which of the following describe species interaction where two or more organisms of different species live together in close physical and/or biochemical association? a) symbiosis. b) parasitism. c) commensalism. d) amensalism. e) mutualism.

a) symbiosis. parasitism.

Species richness is: a) the number of species in a community. b) the number and evenness of species in a community. c) the productivity of species in a community. d)the density of individuals in a community e) the evenness of species in a community.

a) the number of species in a community.

In the graphical depiction of the Lotka-Volterra competition equations, the diagonal lines representing combinations of densities of two species for which dN/dt = 0 are called the a) zero-growth isoclines. b) competition zones. c) competition coefficients. d) competitive exclusion parameters. e) carrying capacities.

a) zero-growth isoclines.

Excess nitrogen in the environment may contribute to

acid rain, invasion of weedy plant species, eutrophication, nitrate contamination of ground and surface water.

The characteristics that give an organism an advantage in a given environment are called

adaptations

of the following options which has been most associated with changes in both birth and death rates over the past 50 years?

affluence

the demographic transition model predicts that

affluent countries have low birth rates and low death relative to poor countries

what are the major factors influencing population growth over the past 5000 years?

agricultural productivity

two species evolving from a common ancestor after being geographically separated are called:

allopatric species

Nitrogen fixation is

an energy intensive biochemical pathway facilitated by bacteria.

The global nitrogen cycle is dominated by the __________________________ reservoir.

atmospheric

What doesn't control alpha diversity? a) Environmental gradients b) Beta diversity c) Patch heterogenity. d) Gamma diversity e) Connection among habitats in a region

b) Beta diversity

The group of species that occupy a given area, interacting either directly or indirectly, is a(n): a) ecosystem. b) community. c) assembly d) guild. e) population. f) biome.

b) community.

Which of the following are actors that influence biodiversity patterns: a) mutualism b) environmental drivers, biogeography, and species interactions. c) all of these answers. d) natural selection. e) relationships among organisms and their environment

b) environmental drivers, biogeography, and species interactions.

Which of the following terms best describes the relationship between a flowering plant and an animal that harvests its pollen? a) competition b) mutualism parasitism c) herbivory d) commensalism e) carnivory f) amensalism

b) mutualism

In general, the degree of environmental heterogeneity of a community has a ________ effect on the species diversity of that community. b) positive c) neutral d) negative e) logistic f) factorial

b) positive

The portion of potential resources and habitat that an organism actually uses in the presence of competitors is called the ___________________ of that organism. a) territory b) realized niche c) geographic range d) fundamental niche e) meta-community

b) realized niche

Competition between species arises due to: a) Zolterra's J parameter b) scarcity of resources in the environment. c) overlapping rank abundance curves. d) the tendency of species interactions to become more amensal over evolutionary time. e) natural selection of antagonistic traits.

b) scarcity of resources in the environment.

The 3/4 biomass-metabolism scaling law probably arises from

biophysical constraints on maintaining energy balance

Which of the following are not drivers of alpha diversity? a) Landscape history b) Average distance of habitat from other habitat patches c) Number of bird species d) Topology (i.e., connections and geometry) of patches in region e) Size of habitat

c) Number of bird species

Which of the following is an example of an allogenic change driving succession? a) impounding of water by the construction of a beaver dam. b) Some of your chickens running away because they were scared off by opossums! c) an extreme storm, e.g., a hurricane. d) reduced salinity due to surface shading by grasses in a salt marsh. e) increased shading of seedlings by adult trees in a forest. f) increased nitrogen availability in soil due to the presence of leguminous plants.

c) an extreme storm, e.g., a hurricane.

Nitrogen fixation by Alder trees early in the growth of an Alaskan forest is an example of: a) floristic facilitation b) symbiotic convergence c) autogenic succession d) a bunch of hippy bulls#!^. e) commensual development f) allogenic succession

c) autogenic succession

Groups of sites within an area with similar climate and soils that are at different stages of succession are known as: a) autosequences. b) old fields. c) chronosequences. d) ecotypes. e) clines.

c) chronosequences

Which of the following would NOT be expected to result from competition? a) convergence towards the Zabrinski equilibrium b) evolution of character displacement c) evolution of increased niche overlap d) none of these answers e) competitive exclusion

c) evolution of increased niche overlap

When two or more organisms use a portion of the same resource simultaneously, it is referred to as: a) amensalism. b) character centralization. c)niche overlap. d) competitive release. e) commensalism.

c) niche overlap.

The net outcome of predator-prey interactions in the basic Lotka-Volterra models is that: a) the predator switches to omnivory when prey populations are low. b) the prey population crashes, causing the predator population to also crash. c) predator and prey populations oscillate. d) the predator drives its prey extinct, and then goes extinct itself. e) predator and prey populations coexist, converging on equilibrium population sizes that are maintained into infinity.

c) predator and prey populations oscillate.

In contrast to the deterministic view of plant communities that prevailed in the early 20th Century, ecologists now believe that community composition at any given location is determined by: a) community physiology. b) species interactions. c) responses of multiple species to environmental conditions and landscape history. d) disturbance. e) bottom-up effects.

c) responses of multiple species to environmental conditions and landscape history.

Which of the following elements is most closely linked to the energy cycle in ecosystems?

carbon

The enzyme RUBISCO catalyzes the reaction called:

carboxylation

The feeding strategy with the highest assimilation efficiency is

carnivore.

plant can reduce water loss by

closing their stomata

Uniform spatial patterning of plants can arise from which of the following conditions

competition for evenly distributed resources

The _____________________ describes reciprocal co-evolutionary changes observed in species of: predators and prey, host and pathogen, and competitor species living in close associations over evolutionary time. a) Directional Selection Axiom b) Convergent Evolution Principle c) Green Witch Hypothesis d) Red Queen Hypothesis e) Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

d) Red Queen Hypothesis

when some competing individuals claim enough resources while denying others a share, this form of competition is called:

contest competition

Which of the following are the most important drivers of observed biodiversity patterns? a) The Red Queen b) Species interactions c)Biogeography dynamics d) Cannot be determined from the information provided. e) Environmental gradients

d) Cannot be determined from the information provided.

Which statement about biodiversity is true? a) Alpha diversity is always greater than gamma diversity. b) Metacommunities arise from sympatric speciation events. c) Dominant species are responsible for trophic cascades. d) Diversity scales as a function of area. e) The equilibrium number of species in a community can be estimated using Zolterra's J.

d) Diversity scales as a function of area.

Which description of diversity is true for most communities? a) Common species have the greatest biomass. b) All species are common. c) All species have approximately equal abundances. d) Few species are very common and many are rare. e) All species are rare. f) Diversity scales as the ¾ power of biomass

d) Few species are very common and many are rare.

Which of the following is the least likely outcome of a host-parasite interaction? a) The species Zero-Growth Isoclines converge. b) The parasitism evolves into a mutualism. c) The parasite population evolves better means of avoiding host defenses. d) The host population evolves to become more susceptible to the parasite. e) The host population evolves stronger defenses against the parasite.

d) The host population evolves to become more susceptible to the parasite.

Gamma diversity refers to diversity found a) between two sites. b) in a climax successional sere. c) in a primary successional sere. d) at a regional scale. e) at the local scale.

d) at a regional scale.

Alpha (a) diversity refers to diversity found a) between two sites. b) at a regional scale c) in a primary successional sere. d) at the local scale. e) in a climax successional sere.

d) at the local scale.

When two different species overlap in the same ecological niche, they are a) unaffected by one another. b) dependent on one another. c) in cooperation with one another. d) in competition with one another. e) engaged in mutualism.

d) in competition with one another.

A host species which harbors only a developmental phase of a parasite is called a(n) a) direct host. b) definitive host. c) obligate mutualist. d) intermediate host. e) macrobiome.

d) intermediate host.

MacArthur's Warblers occupying different parts of coniferous trees are an example of which of the following: a) Boreal exclusion. b) competitive exclusion. c) natural selection. d) niche partitioning.

d) niche partitioning.

Succession that occurs on a site not previously occupied by a community, for example a lava field or a glacier moraine, is called ________ succession. a) basic b) allogenic c) secondary d) primary e) initial

d) primary

In Lotka-Volterra predator-prey models, predators regulate prey populations by functioning as a: a) obligate symbiont. b) Müllerian facilitator. c) source of density dependent fecundity. d) source of density dependent mortality. e) numerical response regulator.

d) source of density dependent mortality.

Changes in community composition over time are called a) zonation b) floristic evolution c) robustification d) succession e) stratification

d) succession

Measures of diversity (e.g., Simpson's D, Shannon-Weiner Index, ect.) are calculated from: a) the number of species in a community. b) the number of species functional types in a community. c) the evenness of species in a community. d) the number and relative abundances of species in a community. e) the density of individuals in a community

d) the number and relative abundances of species in a community.

In terrestrial ecosystems, the ___________ food chain is the major pathway of energy flow.

detrital

which of the following factors controlling the growth of population is most likely to be density dependent?

disease

Which of the following is/are critical to maintaining diversity in successional communities? a) Climax communities. b) The Red Queen. c) Shade tolerant tree species. d) The Yellow King. e) Disturbance. f) Competition.

e) Disturbance.

The theory of island biogeography was experimentally tested by Wilson and Simberloff in the mangrove islands of the Florida Keys in the 1960s. Species richness of insect communities on several small mangroves islands were surveyed. The islands were then fumigated with methyl bromide to clear their arthropod communities. Following fumigation the immigration of species onto the islands was monitored. What did they find? a) The empty niches tended to exhibited R* species characteristics. b) Islands all recovered their arthropod communities at the same rate. c) The islands were invaded by very large rats. d) The number of species was determined by the difference between the rate of speciation and the rate of extinction. e) Islands closer to the mainland recovered faster than those further away.

e) Islands closer to the mainland recovered faster than those further away.

In plain language the equation for logistic growth can be best described as saying which of the following? a) The Carrying Capacity (K) is the absolute upper limit on population growth. b) For large values of N relative to K the rate of change in the population approaches exponential growth. c) Population growth reaches an equilibrium at the Malthusian Parameter. d) K stabilizes at populations of N individuals. e) The rate of change in a population slows as N approaches K.

e) The rate of change in a population slows as N approaches K.

A "dominant" species in a community may: a) make the largest contribution to energy flow or nutrient cycling. b) occupy the most space. c) be the most numerous. d) possess the highest biomass. e) all of these answers.

e) all of these answers

The biologist G. F. Gause used Paramecium species grown in test tubes to illustrate which prediction of Lotka-Volterra competition models? a) consumption competition b) Tilman equilibrium c) coexistence d) resource pre-emption e) competitive exclusion

e) competitive exclusion

The full range of space, resources and environmental conditions to which an organism is adapted to live in and/or use is referred to as the ___________ of that organism. a) geographic range b) territory c) realized niche d) habitat e) fundamental niche

e) fundamental niche

During the early stages of succession, diversity typically: a) approaches gamma diversity. b) decreases. c)varies frequently. d) stays the same. e) increases.

e) increases.

When a predator enhances the success of inferior competitors by suppressing a superior competitor, the interaction is called : a) facilitation. b) predaceous c) indirect predation. d) indirect commensalism. e) keystone predation.

e) keystone predation.

Alpha diversity is to gamma diversity as community is to _________________________. a) ecosystem b) rank abundance c) biome d) meta-population e) meta-community

e) meta-community

Which of the following describes a system of species interactions in which an individual of one species lives in or on its host, feeding on it but usually not killing it. a) parasitoidism b) predation c) cannibalism d) amensalism e) parasitism

e) parasitism

"...the whole (environment) system including the whole complex of physical factors together with the organism-complex (i.e. community)" is Sir Arthur Tansley's definition of the ________________________

ecosystem.

The regulation of an animals body temperature using mechanisms is described as

ectothermic

The mechanism by which some organisms regulate body temperature by internal metabolism processes is described as

endothermic

Which of the following conditions is conducive to a high rate of decomposition?

high temperature and high moisture

human population growth over the last 500 years can be best described as

exponential

the early growth of populations inhabiting favorable environments at low population densities, such as during the process of colonization and establishment in new environments, is best describe as

exponential

in a population exhibiting logistic growth, for very low values of N relative to K, the population will grow

exponentially

How many dimensions are there in Hutchenson's n-dimensional hyper-volume? a) Three: temperature, water availability, and PAR. b) Four:, temperature, water availability, PAR, and nitrogen. c) One: The Zero-scape Dimension that describes a plant species niche in water-temperature space. d) k dimensions, where k = number of species - n of limiting nutrients e) Two: populations of zooplankton and phytoplankton. f) n dimensions, where n = number of limiting nutrients and physical drivers

f) n dimensions, where n = number of limiting nutrients and physical drivers

human populations have been historically limited by

food availability and disease

Which of the following is an important process involved in decomposition?

fragmentation, mineralization, leaching

evolution is a change in _______ over time

gene frequencies

Ecosystems have two major paths of energy flow: ________ and ________

grazing; detrital

net carbon uptake by a plant can be calculated as

gross photosynthesis minus plant respiration

animals that rely on plant tissue for food are called

herbivores

evolution by natural selection requires

heritable variation in traits within a population

K-strategists typically have which of the following characteristics

high parental investment and low number of offspring

_______ maintain a fairly constant temperature

homeotherms

in Peppered Moths ( Biston betularia), the allele for dark-bodied moths is dominant, while the allele for light-bodied moths is recessive. from this information it can be concluded that light-bodied moth are

homozygous

The C4 photosynthetic pathway is typically found among plants inhabiting _______ habitats

hot

Under what conditions may one expect to encounter "inverted trophic pyramids" where consumer biomass exceeds producer biomass?

in ecosystems where turnover of phytoplankton exceeds turnover of zooplankton

which of the following has been shown to decrease fertility rates in developing nations?

increasing female rates

Decomposition

is a biotic and physical process where C and nutrients are released from organic matter, which exhibits negative exponential kinetics.

When a predator enhances the success of inferior competitors by suppressing a superior competitor, the interaction is called

keystone predation

according to Bergmann's Rule, an Arctic rodent species will be ______ relative to a related sub-tropical species

larger

according to Bergmann's Rule, an arctic rodent species will be ______ relative to a related sub-tropical species

larger

In Figure 2 (below), _____________________________ occurs at stage A (first part of the cycle) (figure shows process of nitrogen immobilization and mineralization and leaching)

leaching

Higher trophic levels in a food chain contain __________ energy compared to lower trophic levels.

less

In which of the following ecosystems does the grazing food chain typically have the greatest consumption efficiency?

marine ecosystems

The process of conversion of nutrients from an organic form into an inorganic form that plants can use is called

mineralization

according to density dependent limitations on population growth, as the density of a population increases, the

mortality rate increases

the mechanism of evolution on which Darwin focused in the origin of species was

natural selection

In Figure 2 (below), _____________________________ occurs at stage B (second part of cycle) (figure shows process of nitrogen immobilization and mineralization and leaching)

net N immobilization (immobilization > mineralization).

In Figure 2 below, stage C refers to: (last part of cycle) (figure shows process of nitrogen immobilization and mineralization and leaching)

net N mineralization (mineralization > immobilization).

The rate of energy acquisition by plants after accounting for autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration is

net ecosystem productivity

The rate of energy acquisition by plants after accounting for autotrophic respiration is

net primary productivity.

Which of the following elements is typically the most limiting nutrient to primary production in terrestrial ecosystems?

nitrogen

Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient to primary production in terrestrial ecosystems because

nitrogen may be tightly bound in soil humus fractions for hundreds of years; some forms of nitrogen are highly mobile in terrestrial ecosystems and easily lost; nitrogen is an important constituent of amino acids.

density-independent population regulation

occurs as a result of stochastic events

Which of the following nutrients has a cycle that does NOT contain a significant atmospheric phase?

phosphorus

Which of the following organisms are not important agents of decomposition?

plants

production efficiency is highest among

poikilotherms

All other things being equal, production efficiency is typically highest among

poikilotherms.

which of the following statements is not a requirement of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

predation does not occur

The rate of carbon cycling between the atmosphere and the biosphere is determined by the processes of

primary production and decomposition.

Secondary production is most directly limited primarily by

primary production.

By utilizing the process of ___________, plants avoid losing all of the nutrients in senescing tissues.

reabsorption/translocation

the term ecology is defined as a the study of the

relationships among organisms and their environment

The major drawback of the C3 photosynthesis pathway is that

the enzyme RUBISCO acts as an oxygenase

Soil organic matter is:

the largest pool of terrestrial organic carbon, comprised or detritus and humus, made up of microscopic organisms, recently dead biological material and residues of decomposing plant and animal matter.

Using the data presented in in the figure below, which of the following has the greatest value?

the trophic efficiency of the gazelle trophic level

When populations at a given trophic level are controlled by populations in the trophic level above them, they are said to be under ___________________ control.

top-down

In a food web where a decrease in primary productivity is observed following the removal of predators, the resulting trophic interactions might be considered an example of:

top-down control

The "world is green" hypothesis of Hairston, Smith, and Slobodkin describing how predators influence plant production dynamics is an example of ____________ .

top-down control

Food webs can be arranged into ________ levels based on whether organisms obtain their energy through photosynthesis, from eating dead organic matter, from eating plants, or from eating animals.

trophic