Ch 54, CH37-COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY, Chapter 37, 1041SCG Biological Systems Week 12, Ecology CH. 12 Book Online Question, quiz 5, Chapter 38, Biology Ch. 42 and 43, Ecology Exam, BSC2011L Chapter 53 Q A, Chapter 53 practice test, Biology Fina...

A hypothetical community on a barren mid-Atlantic island consists of two fish-eating seabirds (the booby and the noddy), the fungi and microorganisms that live on the birds' dung, a tick that feeds on these two birds, a cactus, a moth that feeds on cast-off feathers, a beetle that lives on dung organisms, and spiders that eat the other arthropods. There are no other plants and no lichens. Which of the following choices incorrectly pairs a member of this assemblage with its position in the trophic structure?

booby, primary consumer

Most plants have a variety of chemicals, spines, and thorns because the plants

cannot run away from herbivores.

One mechanism that prey populations evolve to avoid predation is

chemical defenses.

Some herbivore-plant interactions evolved through a series of reciprocal evolutionary adaptations in both species. The process is called

coevolution.

An owl and a hawk both eat mice. Which of these describes the relationship between a hawk and an owl?

competition

The sum total of an organism's interaction with the biotic and abiotic resources of its environment is called its

ecological niche

When a crocodile eats a fish, the interspecific interaction between the two could be expressed as ________ for the crocodile and ________ for the fish. A) . . . B) + . . . + C) + . . . D) . . . +

C

In a hypothetical food chain consisting of grass, grasshoppers, sparrows, and hawks, the grasshoppers are A) primary consumers. B) primary producers. C) secondary consumers. D) secondary producers. E) detritivores.

A

The feeding relationships among the species of a community is the community's A) niche. B) diversity. C) density. D) richness. E) trophic structure.

E

Which of the following substances is not cycled between organic matter and abiotic reservoirs? A) water B) carbon C) nitrogen D) phosphorus E) All of the choices are cycled between biotic and abiotic reservoirs

E

11) Which of the following is an example of cryptic coloration?

E) a "walking stick" insect that resembles a twig

48) According to the nonequilibrium model,

E) communities are constantly changing after being influenced by disturbances.

Elephants are not the most common species in African grasslands. The grasslands contain scattered woody plants, but they are kept in check by the uprooting activities of the elephants. Take away the elephants, and the grasslands convert to forests or to shrublands. The newly growing forests support fewer species than the previous grasslands. Which of the following describes why elephants are the keystone species in this scenario?

Essentially all of the other species depend on the presence of the elephants to maintain the community

1) Which of the following statements is consistent with the principle of competitive exclusion?

Even a slight reproductive advantage will eventually lead to the elimination of the less well adapted of two competing species

Which of the following describes a successional event in which one organism makes the environment more suitable for another organism?

facilitation

51) Which of the following describes the relationship between ants and acacia trees?

mutualism

Evidence shows that some grasses benefit from being grazed. Which of the following terms would best describe this plant-herbivore interaction?

mutualism

When two different populations in a community benefit from their relationship with each other, the result is called

mutualism

Which of the following describes the relationship between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria?

mutualism

Which of the following terms best describes the interaction between termites and the protozoans that feed in their gut?

mutualism

In tropical forests, there are plants known as ant-plants. These plants host ant colonies. When the ant colony is the species Petalomyrmex phylax, the presence of the ants protects the ant-plants from predation by herbivores. However, the ant species Cataulacus mckeyi takes advantage of the nesting place and nectar the plants provide without affording any protection to the plant. The interspecies interaction between the ant-plants and P. phylax is an example of _____ whereas the interaction between the ant-plants and C. mckeyi is an example of _____.

mutualism ... parasitism

The sum total of a population's use of the biotic and abiotic resources of its habitat constitutes its

niche

According to the competitive exclusion principle, two species cannot continue to occupy the same

niche.

The number of species in a community is called the A) species diversity. B) species richness. C) species population. D) species index.

B

29) The species richness of a community refers to the

B) number of different species.

Approximately how many kg of carnivore production can be supported by a field plot containing 2000 kg of plant material?

20

44) According to the Shannon Diversity Index, which block would show the greatest diversity?

5

With a few exceptions, most of the food chains studied by ecologists have a maximum of how many links

5

A community is composed of A) potentially interacting populations of different kinds of organisms. B) one species of organism living in a specific environment on Earth. C) living organisms and their nonliving environment. D) the factors that constitute an organism's niche.

A

A hypothetical grassland community has the following five trophic levels: (1) grasses and other plants; (2) herbivores, such as aphids, rodents, and antelope; (3) carnivores, such as ladybugs and weasels, that feed mainly on herbivores; (4) carnivores, such as wolves and hawks, that feed on level (3) carnivores as well as on herbivores; and (5) detritivores, such as vultures, fungi, and bacteria. If a drought occurred, which of the consumer levels would most likely be affected first? (Assume that adequate drinking water remains available.) A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 5 E) 3 and 4

A

Dinoflagellates are important to coral and coral-dwelling animals because they A) produce energy that is used by coral animals through photosynthesis. B) provide shelter for the fast-growing seaweeds associated with coral. C) produce CO2 and nitrogen for coral. D) are toxic to species that prey on reef-dwelling fish.

A

Given that CO2 is produced by respiration, why does the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere remain relatively constant? (When answering this question, exclude the impact of human activities on atmospheric CO2 .) A) CO2 is converted in photosynthesis to carbohydrates. B) CO2 is split apart during photosynthesis. C) CO2 mostly forms carbonate rocks. D) CO2 is trapped in dead organisms' bodies. E) CO2 is a buffer.

A

Most plants have a variety of chemicals, spines, and thorns because the plants A) cannot run away from herbivores. B) feed on the organisms that try to eat them. C) are camouflaged into their surroundings. D) are adapted to attract herbivores. E) are relying upon Batesian mimicry.

A

The differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community is called A) resource partitioning. B) the competitive exclusion principle. C) interspecific competition. D) niche competition. E) resource reduction.

A

We expect that a keystone species that is a predator will A) maintain the species diversity in a community. B) harvest prey species down to extinction. C) help many of its prey reproduce. D) be a parasite. E) More than one of the choices is correct

A

We expect that a keystone species that is a predator will A) maintain the species diversity in a community. B) harvest prey species down to extinction. C) help many of its prey reproduce. D) reduce the diversity of the community.

A

Which one of the following statements about the phosphorus cycle is false? A) Consumers obtain phosphorus in organic form from plants. B) Phosphorus has its main abiotic reservoir in water. C) Plants absorb dissolved phosphorus ions in the soil. D) Phosphorus that drains from soils into the sea becomes part of new rock and will not cycle back into living organisms until geologic processes lift the rock up and expose it to weathering. E) Phosphates are a major component of sewage.

A

Which one of the following statements is false? A) Small-scale disturbances rarely have positive effects. B) Storms, fire, freezing, glacial advance and retreat, and volcanic eruptions are types of disturbances. C) Primary succession occurs when a community arises in a virtually lifeless area with no soil. D) Secondary succession occurs where a disturbance has destroyed an existing community but left the soil intact. E) The transition in species composition in a community is called ecological succession.

A

You want to do all that you can to safeguard the environment by preserving energy. One simple thing that you can do is to eat a diet consisting only of organisms that are A) producers. B) primary consumers. C) secondary consumers. D) a mix of producers and consumers.

A

Which of these research topics would be considered an example of community ecology?

A researcher found that the reproductive success of bumblebees decreased when the population density of honeybees increased. The decline in the number of bumblebees appeared to be a result of competition for nectar.

56) A community's actual evapotranspiration is a reflection of

A) solar radiation, temperature, and water availability.

12) Which of the following is an example of Müllerian mimicry?

A) two species of unpalatable butterfly that have the same color pattern

A biology teacher takes fish, algae, pond weed, invertebrates, and bottom muck from a local pond and establishes them in an aquarium. When the system is stable, the teacher seals it into a large, airtight glass box and leaves the box in a sunny location. After 3 months, the organisms in the aquarium appear alive and healthy. Which of the following statements about the experiment is false? A) No energy has entered or left the glass box during the 3 months. B) Some of the energy in the system has moved from one organism to another during the 3 months. C) Some atoms from water molecules have become parts of organic molecules. D) The air in the glass box contains carbon dioxide. E) During the 3 months, the biomass of plant life was greater than the biomass of animal life

B

A hypothetical community on a barren mid-Atlantic island consists of two fish-eating seabirds (the booby and the noddy), fungi and microorganisms that live on the birds' dung, a tick that feeds on these two birds, a cactus, a moth that feeds on cast-off feathers, a beetle that lives on dung organisms, and spiders that eat the other arthropods. There are no plants and no lichens. Which of the following choices incorrectly pairs a member of this assemblage with its position in the trophic structure? A) spiders, secondary consumer B) booby and noddy birds, primary consumers C) fungi, detritivores D) moths, detritivores E) the cactus is a producer

B

According to the competitive exclusion principle, two species cannot continue to occupy the same A) environmental habitat. B) ecological niche. C) territory. D) range. E) biome.

B

Denitrifying bacteria convert ________ to ________. A) ammonium . . . nitrates B) nitrates . . . nitrogen gas C) nitrogen gas . . . nitrates D) nitrogen gas . . . nitrites

B

Some herbivore-plant interactions evolved through a series of reciprocal evolutionary adaptations in both species. The process is called A) herbivory. B) coevolution. C) selection. D) trophism.

B

The primary decomposers of a community are called A) primary consumers. B) detritivores. C) primary producers. D) protozoa. E) herbivores.

B

Which of the following is not true of the nitrogen cycle? A) It requires different types of bacteria. B) Nitrogen gas is converted to nitrates in plant leaves. C) Nitrogen is cycled through living organisms. D) When plants and animals die, their nitrogen is recycled. E) Nitrogen is a component of all proteins.

B

Which of the following statements about the phosphorus cycle is true? A) Phosphorus has its main abiotic reservoir in water. B) Plants release dissolved phosphorus ions in the soil. C) Phosphorus that drains from soils into the sea becomes part of new rock and will cycle back into living organisms. D) Guano can be used by farmers to add phosphorus to the soil.

B

8) Which of the following best describes resource partitioning?

B) Slight variations in niche allow similar species to coexist.

As you study two closely related predatory insect species, the two-spot and the three-spot avenger beetles, you notice that each species seeks prey at dawn in areas without the other species. However, where their ranges overlap the two-spot avenger beetle hunts at night and the three-spot hunts in the morning. When you bring them into the laboratory, their offspring behave in the same manner. You have discovered an example of

B) character displacement.

A species of fish is found to require a certain water temperature, a particular oxygen content of the water, a particular depth, a rocky substrate on the bottom, and a variety of nutrients in the form of microscopic plants and animals to thrive. These requirements describe it

B) ecological niche.

In a tide pool, 15 species of invertebrates were reduced to eight after one species was removed. The species removed was likely a(n)

B) keystone species.

3) Keystone predators can maintain species diversity in a community if they

B) prey on the community's dominant species.

White-breasted nuthatches and Downy woodpeckers both eat insects that hide in the furrows of bark in hardwood trees. The Downy woodpecker searches for insects by hunting from the bottom of the tree trunk to the top, while the White-breasted nuthatch searches from the top of the trunk down. These hunting behaviors best illustrate which of the following ecological concepts?

B) resource partitioning

10) Resource partitioning would be most likely to occur between

B) sympatric populations of species with similar ecological niches.

) The most plausible hypothesis to explain why species richness is higher in tropical than in temperate regions is that

B) tropical regions generally have more available water and higher levels of solar radiation.

Which of the following members of a marine food chain occupies a similar tropic level to a grasshopper in a terrestrial food chain?

B) zooplankton

For a given area and time period, the amount of solar energy converted to chemical energy is called A) primary succession. B) secondary succession. C) primary production. D) secondary production. E) primary photosynthesis.

C

If left under otherwise natural conditions, which of the following ecosystems would quickly change into a different type if fire was suppressed? A) deciduous forest B) desert C) tallgrass prairie D) freshwater marsh E) None of the choices would change significantly.

C

In a certain ecosystem, field mice are preyed on by snakes and hawks. The entry of wild dogs into the system adds another predator of the mice. Of the following, the most likely short-term result of this addition is A) an increase in snake population. B) a tendency for hawks to prey on the dogs. C) a reduction in numbers of mice. D) migration of the hawks to another ecosystem.

C

In a food chain consisting of phytoplankton → zooplankton → fish → fishermen, the fishermen are A) primary consumers. B) secondary consumers. C) tertiary consumers. D) primary producers. E) secondary producers.

C

Non-native species that are introduced in new environments, spread far beyond the original point of introduction, and cause damage are called A) destructive species. B) enemy species. C) invasive species. D) proprietary species.

C

One of the most worrisome results of the large-scale clearing and cultivation of land is A) erosion and soil degradation. B) the inability to supply fresh water. C) the inability fo supply enough food for growing populations. D) hurricanes.

C

One reason it is important to understand community ecology is A) to understand the life cycle of fish, such as cichlids. B) for identification of stomach microbes. C) to aid in conservation of endangered species. D) to provide an enriched habitat for humans.

C

Which of the following frequently cycles through the environment, bypassing biotic components and relying completely on geological processes? A) carbon B) nitrogen C) water D) nitrogen and carbon E) carbon and nitrogen

C

Which of the following represents a step in the nitrogen cycle? A) nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen to nitrates B) nitrites bind to soil particles C) nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonium D) denitrifiers convert ammonium to atmospheric nitrogen

C

Monarch butterflies are protected from birds and other predators but the cardiac glycosides they incorporate into their tissues are from eating milkweed when they were in their caterpillar stage of development. The wings of a different species of butterfly, the Viceroy, look nearly identical to the Monarch so predators that have learned not to eat the bad-tasting Monarch avoid Viceroys as well. This example best describes

C) Batesian mimicry.

13) Which of the following is an example of Batesian mimicry?

C) a non-venomous snake that looks like a venomous snake

Which of the following types of species interaction is correctly paired with its effects on the density of the two interacting populations?

C) commensalism: as one increases the other stays the same

When lichens grow on bare rock, they may eventually accumulate enough organic material around them to supply the foothold for later rooted vegetation. These early pioneering lichens can be said to do what to the later arrivals?

C) facilitate

5) Based on the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, a community's species diversity is

C) increased by moderate levels of disturbance.

According to the equilibrium model of island biogeography, species richness would be greatest on an island that is

C) large and close to a mainland.

4) Food chains are sometimes short because

C) most of the energy in a trophic level is lost as it passes to the next higher level.

1) The feeding relationships among the species in a community determine the community's

C) trophic structure.

During ecological succession, the species composition of a plant community generally A) changes from a diverse community in which many plants are common to one in which a few species are numerically dominant. B) simplifies until most of the plants originally present have disappeared. C) remains stable as long as major environmental factors (climate, human interference) remain constant. D) changes gradually because each species responds differently to the changing environment. E) changes until climax forest is established and a single species remains.

D

If an overlap develops between the ranges of two closely related species, and if the species occupy the same niche in the zone of overlap, what will probably happen in the zone of overlap? A) A new species will arise by hybridization. B) Both species will coexist, provided the environment in the zone of overlap is different from that in either individual range. C) Both species will coexist, provided the environment in the zone of overlap is similar to that of one of the individual ranges. D) One species will take over most or all of the zone of overlap

D

In an average ecosystem, about how much energy is present in the organisms at a given trophic level compared to the organisms at the next higher trophic level? A) a tenth as much B) half as much C) twice as much D) ten times as much E) It is impossible to say without knowing which trophic levels are involved.

D

The flow of ________ into ecosystems occurs in one direction only, while ________ are recycled within the ecosystem itself. A) minerals . . . energy compounds B) genetic information . . . genotypes C) organic compounds . . . minerals D) energy . . . chemicals

D

The relationship between cattle and the birds that eat insects stirred up by grazing cattle is an example of A) predation. B) parasitism. C) mutualism. D) commensalism. E) interspecific competition.

D

When a New England farm is abandoned, its formerly plowed fields first become weedy meadows, then shrubby areas, and finally forest. This sequence of plant communities is an example of A) evolution. B) a phylogenetic trend. C) a trophic chain. D) secondary succession. E) genetic drift.

D

6) Which of the following could qualify as a top-down control on a grassland community?

D) effect of grazing intensity by bison on plant species diversity

28) All of the following have been used by plants to avoid being eaten except

D) producing tissues that have unappealing colors.

50) You are most likely to observe primary succession in a terrestrial community when you visit a(n)

D) recently created volcanic island.

35) The dominant species in a community is

D) the species that contributes the most biomass to the community.

2) The principle of competitive exclusion states that

D) two species that have exactly the same niche cannot coexist in a community.

If an overlap develops between the ranges of two closely related species, and if the species occupy the same niche in the zone of overlap, what will probably happen in the zone of overlap? A) A new species will arise by hybridization. B) Both species will coexist, provided the environment in the zone of overlap is different from that in either individual range. C) Both species will coexist, provided the environment in the zone of overlap is similar to that of one of the individual ranges. D) The species will partition the zone so that half of it is added to the range of each species and there is no overlap. E) One species will take over most or all of the zone of overlap.

E

Consider the following prairie food chain. Tall grass is consumed by grasshoppers that, in turn, are eaten by mice, and the mice are eaten by prairie kingsnakes. Red-tailed hawks prey on mice and prairie kingsnakes. When a red-tailed hawk dies, bacteria, beetles, fungi, and many types of worms help break down the body. Which of the following correctly identifies a trophic level in this ecosystem?

Grasshoppers are primary consumers.

) Which of the following is the most accepted hypothesis as to why invasive species take over communities into which they have been introduced?

Invasive species are not held in check by the predators and agents of disease that have always been in place for the natives.

If an overlap develops between the ranges of two closely related species, and if the species occupy the same niche in the zone of overlap, what will probably happen in the zone of overlap?

One species will take over most or all of the zone of overlap.

Which of the following is an example of predation?

Sea anemones coating the shallow-water coral reefs in Australia feed on fish and shrimp that wander too close to their tentacles.

Which of the following is an example of mutualism?

Some biologists have observed Egyptian plover birds land on the open mouth of a Nile crocodile without being eaten and remove leeches stuck firmly to the crocodile's gums.

Which of the following is an example of herbivory?

Squirrels in the forests of Wisconsin hide away hickory nuts and acorns, which they will eat during the long, cold winter.

Dwarf mistletoes are flowering plants that grow on certain forest trees. They obtain nutrients and water from the vascular tissues of the trees. The trees derive no known benefits from the dwarf mistletoes. Which of the following best describes the interactions between dwarf mistletoes and trees

parasitism

On Earth, most organic molecules are produced by

photosynthesis.

In an ecosystem, you would expect to find interspecific competition between

populations of two species that occupy the same niche.

A community is composed of

potentially interacting populations of different kinds of organisms.

Camouflage typically evolves as a result of

predation.

Which trophic level in this food chain represents the secondary consumer?

trophic level C