Bio unit 8

Get your calculator: A population of 250 birds inhabit the canopy of a tropical rain forest that has a carrying capacity of 400 birds. What is the maximum population growth rate (rmax) if the population grows to 283 in one year?

0.35

Which of the following best estimates the population size of the sea lions in 2000 based on the data shown in Figure 1?

175,000

Get your calculator: A fish population of 250 in a pond has a maximum annual rate of increase of 0.8.If the carrying capacity of the pond is 1,500 for this species, what is the expected population size after one year?

450

Which of the following is an example of a density-independent limitation on a population?

At higher temperatures, more tomato plants in a population become infested with nematodes than at lower temperatures.

The eastern and western Meadow Lark are separate species as they contain sperate mating calls with prevents them from being attracted to each other. This is an example of what type of Isolation?

Behavioral isolation

Scientists have found that the existing populations of a certain species of amphibian have been allosterically separated. The amphibians are small in number, lacking in genetic diversity, and separated from each other by wide areas of dry land. Which of the following human actions is most likely to improve the long-term survival of the amphibians?

Building ponds in the areas of dry land to promote interbreeding between the separated populations

Complete the statement: Competition for food would probably be most severe between two...

Closely related species in similar niches

Complete the statement: The competitive exclusion principle is most likely to occur between two...

Closely related species occupying the same niche

Which point on the curve in the diagram above best represents the carrying capacity of the environment for the population shown?

E

Which of the following best explains why many different species can live together within an ecosystem with limited resources?

Each species occupies a different niche

What biological event gradually transitions over time from one type of biological community to another.

Ecological succession

The diagram shows the progression of ecological events after a fire in a particular ecosystem. Based on the diagram, which of the following best explains why the oak trees are later replaced by other trees?

Eventually the other trees grow taller than the oak trees and form a dense canopy that shades the understory.

The California grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) is a small marine fish that lives in shallow waters near the ocean shore. Grunions swim as far onto the beach as possible to mate and lay their eggs (spawn).A researcher proposes that the spawning behavior takes place when the nighttime tides are highest during the month. Which of the following pieces of evidence would best support the researcher's claim?

Grunion spawning occurs every two weeks during the spawning season.

Complete the statement: A parasite may be described as an organism that derives nourishment from another living organism and...

Harms the host in the process

Many fish species, such as fathead minnows, release a pheromone when their skin cells are damaged. Researchers placed pike, a predator of fathead minnows, in a choice chamber and released the minnow pheromone at one end of the chamber. The researchers observed that the pike oriented themselves toward the end of the chamber where the pheromone was released. Which of the following questions will best guide a follow-up investigation about the role of pheromones in locating prey?

How do pike determine that the fathead minnow pheromone is present in the water?

A species of malaria-carrying mosquito lives in a forest in which two species of monkeys, A and B, coexist. Species A is immune to malaria but species B is not. The malaria-carrying mosquito is the chief food for a particular kind of bird in the forest. If all of these birds are eliminated suddenly by hunters, which of the following would be the immediate observable consequence?

Increased mortality in monkey species B

What will most frequently be the result, if two species have an overlap in the niches?

Interspecific competition

Milkweed is a common field that produces a cardiac glycoside which like digitalis stimulates heart contractions. The synthesis of this compound ensures the survival of this plant species because the glycoside is toxic to most herbivores with a notable exception -the monarch butterfly. Female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed and the resulting larvae (caterpillars) feed on milkweed leaves. An enzyme produced by the caterpillars allows them to ingest and store the toxin without ill effects. After pupation, adult monarchs emerge with a conspicuous bright orange and black banding pattern and retain the toxic glycoside in their systems. Viceroy butterflies are almost identical to monarchs in possessing the conspicuous banding pattern. However, viceroys cannot metabolize or stole the toxic glycoside. Which of the following describes the banding pattern of viceroy butterflies:

Mimicry

Which of the following communities is likely to be most stable?

One with high species diversity

In an experiment, three different animals were exposed to a series of environmental temperatures and their body temperatures were assessed at multiple temperature points between 10 and 40 degrees Celsius. Ten different individuals of each type of animal were included in the study to produce an average body temperature profile for each type of animal. Figure 1 shows the data collected. Which of the following statements is most consistent with the data in Figure 1 ?

Snakes display behaviors that allow them to absorb or radiate heat as required.

Which term describes an interactive relationship between a fungus and an algae in a lichen?

Symbiosis

When multiple frog species often occupy the same area in an ecosystem but are isolated with each species because they have developed different mating times and or mating seasons. This is an example of what type of Isolation?

Temporal isolation

A scientist is evaluating a proposal for raising large numbers of fish in ocean pens for human consumption. As part of the evaluation, the scientist is designing a plan for investigating how the fish in the ocean pens might affect nearby ecosystems. Which of the following is the most appropriate factor to use as the dependent variable in the experimental investigation?

The amount of metabolic wastes in the water where the fish are being raised

The deep ocean floor communities contain very little life. In constant darkness, the water at these depths hovers around 2°C . Sparsely distributed in this environment are hydrothermal vent ecosystems. Superheated water streams out of the vents at temperatures approaching 400°C . These waters are rich in inorganic materials, including carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. Hydrothermal vent zones have a density of organisms 10,000 to 100,000 times greater than found on the surrounding seafloor. Scientists have studied these vents to determine the energy source for these communities and the identity of the primary producers in the perpetual darkness of the ocean floor. As expected, they found a total absence of photosynthetic organisms at all vents, identifying mats of bacteria as the producers of the carbon compounds that are used by the rest of the community for growth, repair, and as an energy source. Which of the following describes how the vent bacteria harvest energy to produce organic compounds for use by the vent community?

The bacteria function as chemoautotrophs, extracting energy from hydrogen-rich inorganic molecules.

Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi) live in closely related groups. When they feed in the open, certain individuals (guard squirrels) watch for predators instead of feeding. The guard squirrels give an alarm call when a predator is sighted, allowing the rest of the group to run to safety. Researchers have noted that, because the alarm call draws attention to the guard, the guard is more likely to be caught by the predator and therefore has a lower survival rate in comparison with the other squirrels. Which of the following best explains the behavior of the guard squirrels?

The behavior of the guard squirrels increases the survival of close relatives that share the genes of the guard squirrels.

The following is a food web for a meadow habitat that occupies 25.6 km2. The primary producers' biomass is uniformly distributed throughout the habitat and totals 1,500 kg/km2. Developers have approved a project that will permanently reduce the primary producers' biomass by 50 percent and remove all rabbits and deer.Which of the following is the most likely result at the completion of the project?

The biomass of coyotes will be dramatically reduced.

Different species of bumblebee compete for flower nectar in their ecosystem. While the flowers vary in the length of their petals, bumblebees vary in the length of a mouth part called a proboscis. Bumblebees demonstrate a preference for flowers that correspond to the length of their proboscis. Species with proboscises of similar length tend to occupy different areas. Species that live in the same area tend to have proboscises of different lengths. Which of the following best explains the relationship between the different bumblebee species living in the same area?

The bumblebees have undergone niche partitioning due to competition.

A colony of termites was exposed to an atmosphere of 100 percent oxygen for three days. The insects were not immediately harmed by the treatment, but the protozoa that lived in the termites' guts were eliminated. The treated termites continued to behave normally and to eat wood, but they began to starve after a short time. When the treated termites were instead fed wood contaminated with the feces of untreated termites, the treated termites regained the ability to digest wood and no longer starved. Which of the following describes the best analysis of the results of the experiment?

The cooperative interactions between the termites and the protozoa allow termites to extract energy from wood to survive

As depicted in the diagram, honeybees communicate the location of flower patches to members of their hives with waggle dances that give information about the direction and distance to the flowers. Which of the following statements about how honeybees communicate the position of flower patches is most consistent with the model?

The farther the target flowers from the hive, the longer the waggle phase.

A massive increase in the growth of a specific species of algae resulted in record-breaking levels of a potentially dangerous toxin being released into the water. A researcher hypothesizes that the unusual growth of this algal species was caused by an increase in water temperature. The researcher designs an experiment to test the hypothesis. Which of the following is the dependent variable in the researcher's experiment?

The growth of the algae

Beaked whales feed at various depths, but they defecate at the ocean's surface. Nitrogen-rich whale feces deposited in surface waters supply nutrients for algae that are eaten by surface dwelling fish. Which of the following best predicts what would happen if the whale population decreased?

The surface fish populations would decline due to reduced populations of algae

There is strong evidence that two species of cliff-dwelling birds have nested in the same environment and fed in the same water for thousands of years, with each having stable population sizes. Based on this information, which of the following statements is the best conclusion?

The two birds have different ecological niches that allow coexistence.

Low concentrations of cadmium in the water negatively affect steelhead trout. In a river community, steelhead trout are part of the trophic structure shown in Figure 1. Which of the following is the most likely immediate effect of an increase in runoff containing cadmium on the trophic structure of the river community?

There will be a large decrease in the trout population, resulting in an increase in damselfly nymphs.

Choose which biome exhibits the greatest diversity of plant species and has the highest gross primary productivity.

Tropical rain forest

Milkweed is a common field that produces a cardiac glycoside which like digitalis stimulates heart contractions. The synthesis of this compound ensures the survival of this plant species because the glycoside is toxic to most herbivores with a notable exception -the monarch butterfly. Female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed and the resulting larvae (caterpillars) feed on milkweed leaves. An enzyme produced by the caterpillars allows them to ingest and store the toxin without ill effects. After pupation, adult monarchs emerge with a conspicuous bright orange and black banding pattern and retain the toxic glycoside in their systems. Viceroy butterflies are almost identical to monarchs in possessing the conspicuous banding pattern. However, viceroys cannot metabolize or stole the toxic glycoside. Which of the following describes the conspicuous banding displayed by monarch butterflies:

Warning coloration

In the year 2000, specimens of Caulerpa taxifolia,a green alga used in tropical aquariums, were found off the coast of California. Native to the Indian Ocean, C. taxifolia is known for aggressive growth and an ability to compete with sea grasses.It is currently on an international list of invasive species. Which of the following best predicts the consequences of the introduction of C. taxifolia to the California coast?

Without natural herbivores or competitors,C. taxifolia will grow rapidly and crowd out native species of producers.

In traveling from a forest ecosystem to grassland, one notes that the trees gradually give way to prairie grasses. Which of the following is the critical factor usually governing this shift?

availability of water

If the larvae of a particular species of mosquito are to survive to the adult stage, the eggs must be laid in the trapped pool of water of the northern pitcher plant. The mosquito larvae provide no apparent benefit or harm to the pitcher plant. This is an example of what type of interaction?

commensalism

A study of the metabolic rate in a terrestrial community shows that the energy released by respiration exceeds the energy captured in photosynthesis. Which of the following situations is occurring?

community biomass is decreasing

The food web represented above does not include bacteria and fungi. Which of the following best describes a consequence of having no bacteria and fungi in the food web?

grasses will have no direct access to chemical components recycled from dead organisms