unit 2 progress check: MCQ

The image shows two different islands and the relative distance to the nearest mainland. Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following best predicts the effect of the introduction of an invasive species on Easter Island compared to Madagascar?

The native species on Madagascar are more likely to survive because the island is larger and provides a greater diversity of habitats and resources. The land with greater area supports more habitats and resources, reducing competition and increasing survival.

Based on the graph above, which of the following years postdisturbance did sweetgum experience the greatest biomass?

50. The peak of sweetgum biomass (150Mgha−1)(150Mgha−1) occurred 5050 years after the disturbance.

Which of the following ecosystem services is categorized as regulating?

Pollination, decomposition, and water purification. Regulating services are benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes.

Based on the graph above, which of the following years postdisturbance had the greatest species richness?

100. One hundred years after disturbance all 88 species had measurable biomass in the ecosystem, the maximum number of species in the graph.

Which of the following is an example of an ecosystem service that would provide protection from a hurricane storm surge?

An intact coastal wetland. An intact coastal wetland or marsh would offer natural protection from a storm surge categorized under regulating ecosystem service.

Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following islands would most likely have the highest number of species living on it?

An island 30 hectares in size that is 10 kilometers off the coast of the mainland. According to the theory of island biogeography, as the size of an island increases, the number of species living on it should increase. Also, as an island's distance from the mainland increases, the number of species living on it should decrease. This option provides the combination of greatest size and closest distance to the mainland compared to the other options.

An island off the coast of Africa contains a larger percentage of specialist species than generalist species. Which of the following describes the most immediate effect if an invasive generalist species is introduced to the island?

As competition for resources increases, the population size of the island's specialist species will decrease. The invasive generalist species would most likely outcompete the island's species for food and other resources, as these are extremely limited on islands and specialists can thrive in a narrow range of conditions.

Changes in Atmospheric CO2CO2 Concentration and Antarctic Temperature over the Past 800,000800,000 Years. Which of the following best describes the trends in atmospheric CO2CO2 concentration and Antarctic temperature over the past 800,000800,000 years?

Atmospheric CO2CO2 concentration and Antarctic temperature are directly correlated over the past 800,000800,000 years. The curves move in tandem over the past 800,000800,000 years (i.e., as atmospheric CO2CO2 concentration increases, Antarctic temperature increases).

Researchers examined the effect of industrialization and increased pollution (soot) in London on the coloration in a single species of moths. Birds prey on the moths that are easily visible on trees. The researchers observed moths on tree trunks and recorded their body color. The percentage of moths with light colored bodies and the percentage of moths with dark bodies is shown on the graph above. In the 1970s, the amount of industrial pollution decreased and the trees began to return to their preindustrial appearance. Which of the following graphs best demonstrates the change in the frequencies of light-colored moths and dark-colored moths in the population from 1950 to 2000? The dark-colored moths are represented with a solid line and the light-colored moths are represented with a dashed line.

C. As pollution decreased, the trees will have lighter bark again, making them more suitable for the light-colored moths. Light-colored moths will survive and reproduce better than dark-colored moths, and their relative percentage in the population will increase.

A team of ecologists are studying four different ecosystems with varying levels of biodiversity. The ecologists categorize the different levels of biodiversity for the four ecosystems as shown in the table below. Based on the information above, which ecosystem most likely experienced a recent population bottleneck?

Ecosystem A, because its low genetic diversity could have resulted from an event that reduced the variation in the gene pool. A population bottleneck occurs when a significant decrease in the population size reduces genetic variation within a population.

A team of ecologists are studying four different ecosystems with varying levels of biodiversity. The ecologists categorize the different levels of biodiversity for the four ecosystems as shown in the table below. Based on the information above, which ecosystem would most likely recover the fastest from a natural disruption?

Ecosystem B, ecosystems with more genetic diversity and a larger number of different species are more likely to recover from natural disruptions.

A team of ecologists are studying four different ecosystems with varying levels of biodiversity. The ecologists categorize the different levels of biodiversity for the four ecosystems as shown in the table below. Based on the information above, which of the following best describes Ecosystem C?

Its low habitat diversity indicates that Ecosystem C most likely has a low number of specialist species and few species that utilize large territories. Having a limited number of different habitats would inhibit the survival of different types of specialist species and those that control large territories.

Which of the following economic consequences to a provisioning ecosystem service will most likely result from increased global warming?

The collapse of local fisheries, because of the damage to coral reefs from ocean acidification. Many fish depend on coral reefs for habitat, and the carbon dioxide that largely causes anthropogenic global warming also causes ocean acidification, which does damage coral reefs.

Changes in Atmospheric CO2CO2 Concentration and Antarctic Temperature over the Past 800,000800,000 Years. Which of the following best describes the pattern in the atmospheric CO2CO2 concentration data over the past 200,000200,000 years?

The concentration of CO2CO2 fluctuated between 150ppm150ppm and 250ppm250ppm until recently, when the concentration rose exponentially. The graph shows the concentration of CO2CO2 changing between 150ppm150ppm and until recently when the concentration rose significantly from 250ppm250ppm to 400ppm400ppm.

Researchers examined the effect of industrialization and increased pollution (soot) in London on the coloration in a single species of moths. Birds prey on the moths that are easily visible on trees. The researchers observed moths on tree trunks and recorded their body color. The percentage of moths with light-colored bodies and the percentage of moths with dark bodies is shown on the graph above. Based on the data in the graph, which of the following best describes the change in the population of moths as a result of industrialization?

The percentage of dark colored moths increased in the population and the percentage of light-colored moths decreased in the population. The percentage of dark-colored moths increased from less than 10% to almost 100% during the time period in the graph and the light colored moths decreased from over 90% in 1800 to under 10% in 1950.

Changes in Atmospheric CO2CO2 Concentration and Antarctic Temperature over the Past 800,000800,000 Years. Which of the following best describes the change in Antarctic temperature from about 440,000440,000 years ago to about 340,000340,000 years ago?

The temperature increases by about 12°C12°C and then decreases by about 12°C12°⁢C. This does describe the temperature curve between 440,000440,000 and 340,000340,000 years ago. The approximate Antarctic temperature about 440,000440,000 years ago is about 10°C10°⁢C below the baseline. The approximate Antarctic temperature about 400,000400,000 years ago is about 2°C2°C above the baseline. The approximate Antarctic temperature about 340,000340,000 years ago is about 10°C10°⁢C below the baseline. Therefore, starting about 440,000440,000 years ago, the temperature increases about 12°C12°⁢C by 400,000400,000 years ago and then decreases about 12°C12°⁢C Celsius by 340,000340,000 years ago.

Based on the graph above, which of the following tree species would be the predominant species found during the intermediate stage of succession?

Tulip poplar. The biomass of the tulip poplar trees peaks at about 125 years, which is the intermediate stage of succession for this ecosystem.