Biology A
The graph below shows changes that occurred in the size of a population of animals over a year. Which of the following is best supported by the graph?
Between month 4 and month 6, a predator was introduced into the ecosystem and increased the death rate.
Which function is typical of a decomposer in an ecosystem?
Breaking down dead trees into soil nutrients
The hypothesis that all species are descended from common ancestors was proposed by
Charles Darwin
Suppose that a scientist proposes a hypothesis about how a newly discovered virus affects humans. Other virus researchers would likely
design new experiments to test the proposed hypothesis.
The graph in Figure 5-3 shows the changes in a mosquito population. What caused the changes seen in the graph?
density-independent limiting factor
The graph below shows the changes in the number of species in an ecosystem. Which event was most likely the cause of the changes in species diversity in this ecosystem?
A large volcanic eruption
Which of these best illustrates natural selection?
An organism with favorable genetic variations will tend to survive and breed successfully.
This diagram shows a food web of a meadow. Due to insecticides, the cricket population is greatly reduced. Which population is most affected by this event?
Frog
This graph represents changes in human population over a period of 2,000 years. What can be concluded from the graph?
Human population grew exponentially over the past 200 years.
Which statement is an inference based on this information?
Milkweed seeds are dispersed by wind.
Which statement is part of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection?
More offspring are produced than can possibly survive
Using Figure 5-2, what is the most likely cause of the decrease in moose population immediately after 1995?
Overcrowding caused competition in the moose population.
Which of the diagrams below shows an example of secondary succession in an ecosystem?
Plowed fields - grasses - flowers - bushes - small trees - climax community
The algae at the beginning of the food chain above are...
Primary producers
What is one difference between primary and secondary succession?
Secondary succession begins on soil and primary succession begins on newly exposed surfaces.
Scientists found that, over a period of 200 years a mountain pond was transformed into a meadow. During that time, several communities of organisms were replaced by different communities. Which of these best explains why new communities were able to replace older communities?
The abiotic characteristics of the habitat changed.
The diagram illustrates an embryonic stage of two organisms. Which of the following can be determined by observing the embryos shown in the diagrams?
The ancestors share a common ancestry
Which of the following could describe a population that is decreasing in size?
The death rate is becoming higher than the birthrate.
An undisturbed deer population grows until its carrying capacity is reached. Which of the graphs below best resembles this deer population?
The graph shows a steady increase, then a constant curvy line like a worm
In Madagascar scientists have discovered a moth, Xanthopan morganii praedicta, that has a 30.5 cm proboscis and feeds from and pollinates Darwin's orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale. The orchid has a nectar-producing tube that is 27.9 cm long. How is the moth's proboscis size an adaptation for its environment?
The moth has little competition for food.
A biologist gathered data to show the interaction of the golden-cheeked warbler and juniper tree populations. Which conclusion did the biologist most likely make from the data shown?
The optimum habitat for the golden-cheeked warbler population is 100 juniper trees per acre.
Students investigate how soil pH affects the height of tomato plants. Each of six tomato plants receives the same amount of light each day and is planted in the same size pot and given the same amount of water. Each plant is planted in soil with a different pH.
The pH of the soil in which the plants are grown
For the growth curve to continue increasing, which of these must occur?
The resources in the environment must be unlimited.
In what way are herbivores and carnivores alike?
They both obtain energy by consuming other organisms
Charles Darwin's observation that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics supports the hypothesis that these finches
They descended from a common ancestor
This diagram represents the bone structures of the front limbs of four different animals What do the similarities of the structures suggest about these organisms?
They evolved from a common ancestor.
When testing the benefits of a new fertilizer on the growth of tomato plants, the control group should include which of the following?
Tomato plants grown in soil with no fertilizer
Scientists often try to repeat each other's results. Which of the following should a scientist do to make it easier for others to replicate his or her experiment?
Use the metric system when communicating procedures and results
In humans, the pelvis and femur, or thigh bone, are involved in walking. In whales, the pelvis and femur shown in Figure 16-1 are
Vestigial structures
Which are two ways a population can decrease in size?
decreased birthrate and emigration
When the Mount St. Helens volcano erupted, the blast covered much of the surrounding area with ash. Based on the diagram above, which list shows the sequence of secondary succession that followed the eruption?
Z, X, Y, W
A personal preference or point of view is
a bias
Based on your observations, you suggest that the presence of water could accelerate the growth of bread mold. This is
a hypothesis
Primary succession would most likely occur after
a lava flow
Something that controls the growth or size of a population is
a limiting factor
In an ecosystem, a sudden decrease in the number of bacteria in the soil would most likely result in...
a reduction in the amount of nitrogen available to the ecosystem.
Which of the following is an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?
a rock
During a controlled experiment, a scientist isolates and tests
a single variable
If a lake receives a large input of a limiting nutrient, which of these would happen first?
an algal bloom occurs
Which condition is essential for natural selection to result in a new species?
an inherited variation
When a dairy farmer chooses to breed the cows that give the most milk in the herd, the farmers are following the principle of
artificial selection
The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level is called the...
biomass
The principle of common descent helps explain why
birds and reptiles share a number of inherited characteristics
Phytoplankton - Sand Shrimp - Bluefish - Summer flounder - osprey The food chain above represents the feeding relationships in one ocean community. Which organism is a secondary consumer?
bluefish
Animals get the most of the nitrogen they need...
by consuming plants or other animals
How do most primary producers make their own food?
by using light energy to make carbohydrates
A scientific hypothesis
can be tested by experiments or observations.
The work of scientists usually begins with
careful observations.
Which of the following phrases best describes the results of natural selection?
changes in the inherited characteristics of a population over time
What does a reviewer do during peer-review?
check for mistakes and bias
The study of embryos and other early stages of development can help in the classification of living things, past and present, by providing dues about the —
common ancestry among vertebrate species
Two different populations of birds live in the same area and eat the same types of food. Which most likely describes the relationship between these two populations of birds?
compeition
Scientists will never know for sure why dinosaurs became extinct. Therefore, scientists should
continue to learn as much as they can about dinosaur extinction.
A student sees a bee on a flower. The student wonders how the bee finds flowers. This student is displaying the scientific attitude of
curiosity
Information gathered from observing a plant grow 3 cm over a two-week period is called
data
What goes in Box 5 of the food web above?
decomposers
Which of the following is a density-independent limiting factor?
earthquake
Only 10 percent of the energy stored in an organism can be passed on to the next trophic level. Of the remaining energy, some is used for the organism's life processes, and the rest is...
eliminated as heat
The movements of energy and nutrients through living systems are different because
energy flows in one direction, and nutrients recycle.
The graph in Figure 5-1 shows the growth of a bacterial population. Which of the following correctly describes the growth curve?
exponential
If too many herbivores live in a community, the predator population will decrease rapidly.
false
Scientists always supply evidence to support their results because they know other scientists will apply the scientific attitude of curiosity.
false
True or False? In an ecological pyramid, the biomass of living things increases at each higher level.
false
In an ecosystem, which is the most likely reason for an increase in the producer population if there is an increase in the carnivore population?
fewer herbivors
Which will reduce competition within a species' population?
fewer individuals
Charles Darwin called the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment
fitness
Which organism in the food web receives the least amount of energy from the producers?
hawk
A word that means the same thing as consumer is...
heterotroph
The movement of organisms into a range is called
immigration
A group of ponies lives in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Reserve in Virginia. The development of longer legs over time would be selected for if
it increased the survival rate of the long-legged ponies
After a volcanic eruption has covered an area with lava, which of the following is the most likely order of succession in the repopulation of the area?
lichens ->grasses -> shrubs -> trees
A theory
may be revised or replaced.
The crab Lybia tessellata carries a pair of sea anemones on its claws. The crab uses the sea anemone's stinging tentacles as protection and the sea anemone obtains small food particles released by the crab as it feeds. Which type of symbiotic relationship does this best illustrate?
mutualism
Darwin first began to formulate his concept of evolution by natural selection after
observing patterns among the geographical location of certain species
Several species of warblers can live in the same spruce tree ONLY because they
occupy different niches within the tree.
Which sequence shows increasing ecological levels of organization?
organism, population, community, ecosystem
A female Hymenoepimecis wasp will temporarily paralyze a spider and then lay an egg on the spider's abdomen. After the paralysis wears off, the spider resumes its normal activity. When the egg hatches, the larva grows by sucking its required nutrients from the spider. What type of relationship exists between the spider and the Hymenoepimecis wasp?
parasitism
The diagram below represents the nitrogen cycle in a student's aquarium. Ammonia, nitrites, and, to a lesser degree, nitrates can be harmful to fish. The student wants to keep the nitrogen in this aquarium cycling normally without having to continually change the water. Which of the following should the student add more of to help remove nitrates and improve the natural cycling of nitrogen in this aquarium?
plants
Each of the following is a condition necessary for natural selection to occur EXCEPT
population size is very large
According to Darwin's theory of natural selection, individuals who survive are the ones best adapted for their environment. Their survival is due to the
possession of inherited adaptations that maximize fitness
A wolf pack hunts, kills, and feeds on a moose. In this interaction, the wolves are
predators
What is at the base of all ecological pyramids?
producers
Which of these organisms would most likely be found at the top of an energy pyramid?
sharks
Darwin noticed that many organisms seemed well suited to
surviving in the environments in which they lived
Each of the following is a density-dependent limiting factor EXCEPT
temperature
Science differs from other disciplines, such as history and the arts, because science relies on
testing explanations
If a population grows larger than the carrying capacity of the environment, which of these is most likely to happen?
the death rate may rise
What would happen if the population of the bird species shown in the ecosystem in Figure 4-1 were to suddenly decrease?
the fish population would increase
Which characteristic of Galápagos finches helped the Grants show the results of natural selection?
the size and shape of their beaks
Which of the following is a biological aspect of an organism's niche?
the way it gets food
Which adaptation would be seen in animals in this biome?
thick body fat layers
Which of the following is NOT a goal of science?
to establish a collection of unchanging truths
Figure 4-2 shows succession in an ecosystem. What organisms are found in the climax community for this ecosystem?
trees and shrubs
What is the term for each step in the transfer of energy and matter within a food web?
trophic level
For a hypothesis to have value, it must be testable.
true
If the death rate of a population is greater than the birthrate, the population decreases.
true
Science is best described as a
way of knowing
Biogeography is the study of
where species and their ancestors live
