EVR 1001 CH 4
Imagine a large state park near your home. Which of the following are probably the most crucial and essential part of that park's ecosystem?
Insects
________ involves individuals of a single species fighting over access to a limiting resource.
Intraspecific competition
What type of biome has been converted most frequently by humans for agricultural use?
Temperate grassland
What two factors exert the greatest influence over a terrestrial biome?
Temperature and precipitation
Kelp ________.
suffers intense herbivory from sea urchins
Which of the following is/are an abiotic factor?
temperature
A seal that just ate a clam is eaten by a shark. The shark is acting as a _____.
tertiary consumer
Many of the characteristics of the Serengeti ecosystem in east Africa have been influenced by __________.
volcanic activity in the region
Why do we classify lionfish populations near the eastern United States as an invasive species? What suggests that these new populations are not an expansion of the lionfish's natural range?
Lionfish are native to the tropical Pacific. There are no natural water routes of warm water between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Imagine a square meter of leafy forest soil underneath an oak or maple tree. Which of the following is likely to exist within this patch of soil?
All of the listed
In general, when one views a food chain, they can expect the biomass of herbivores (organisms that eat plants) in an ecosystem to be about _____ of the biomass of the plants and other photosynthetic organisms in the ecosystem.
10%
What characteristics of lionfish contribute to their ability to spread and become established in new areas?
A single lionfish female may produce up to 2 million eggs a year. The eggs float for up to a month, spreading the lionfish populations.
Which statement is correct concerning the process of ecological succession?
After a disturbance, the community goes through a somewhat predictable set of changes until reaching a final state.
If volcanic activity ceased in the Serengeti ecosystem, we would expect that over the next million years, __________.
All of the above
What kinds of organisms pollinate three-fourths of our crops?
Bees
How did the fish biologists determine the diet of lionfish in the regions where the lionfish have invaded?
Biologists examined the contents of the stomachs of lionfish caught in the wild.
Which of the following does the diagram illustrate?
Biomes are determined primarily by precipitation and temperature.
How does predation differ from parasitism?
Parasites rarely kill their host, while predators kill their prey.
In 1958 federal law restricted the movement of soil and plants from areas where fire ants were established. Why was this law unsuccessful in stopping the spread of fire ant colonies?
People were unaware of the federal law and, when they moved, transported plants bearing fire ant colonies; a single mated queen can be transported without being noticed; and many states thought to be free of fire ant colonies already had them.
________________ follows a disturbance so severe that no vegetation or soil life remains from the community that had occupied the site.
Primary succession
Which of the following are most likely to be keystone species in an ecosystem?
Secondary or tertiary consumers near the tops of food chains
When an increase in the population of prey occurs, which of the following usually occurs in the population of its predator?
The population of the predator increases.
Based upon what we are learning about the lionfish diet, what is most likely going to happen to Caribbean coral reefs invaded by lionfish?
There will be fewer algae eating fish. More algae will grow over and damage corals.
Which of the following is true about top predators?
They are often keystone species.
Which of the following biomes features distinct wet and dry seasons?
Tropical dry forest
Which of the following is an example of resource partitioning?
Two species of birds forage together, with one eating insects on tree trunks while the other eats insects in the outer branches.
When a species is moved from its native area to a new area, it can become an invasive species and damage its new ecosystem. What is one reason these species are able to do damage to an ecosystem?
When a species is transported, it leaves behind its predators and the diseases that previously kept its population in check. Therefore, the species is able to grow to large and damaging numbers.
From 1930 to 1939 fire ants spread inland about 60 miles from their point of introduction in Mobile, Alabama. What was the cause of their spread over this distance?
a natural spread
Lichen is often the first organism to appear in an area that has had all life stripped from it because of some disturbance. What is lichen in this regard?
a pioneer species
Many of the world's great game herds are concentrated on the east African plateau because of the __________.
abundant grasslands
Which of the following is an example of an ecological community?
all of the bears, wolves, elk, moose, aspen trees, lodgepole pine trees, and all other animals and plants in Yellowstone National Park
Which of the following are probably the most abundant but least understood of all forms of life on Earth?
bacteria
After examining every single cell in your body, you would conclude that humans are made up mostly of __________.
bacterial cells
If global climate change results in an area of temperate grassland receiving less rainfall and higher temperatures, it will ________.
begin to support more desert species
From 1940 to 1970 fire ants spread through many southern states, sometimes at a rate of 100 miles in a year. What was the cause of their spread over this distance?
being transported along with plants and soil
Autotrophs, at the base of the trophic pyramid, exist in greater numbers than organisms at higher levels of the pyramid and also have greater stores of energy as well as greater __________.
biomass
Based upon what we are learning about invasive lionfish populations in the Caribbean and along the Atlantic coast of the United States, these lionfish populations __________.
cannot be eliminated by any means currently known
Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below. Human activities, including fossil fuel combustion, farming, and deforestation, are known to increase atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Measurable warming of Earth due to these gases can alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the direct climatic effects on organisms within biomes, warming can melt permafrost in the tundra and increase precipitation in arctic areas. Global warming also can increase sea surface temperatures, melting sea ice in the Arctic and increasing the intensity of hurricanes in temperate and tropical coastal areas. Within communities, climatic change can shift interdependent species "out-of-sync," potentially causing indirect loss of species. Global warming has been hypothesized to cause many plants to flower earlier. If bees and other pollinators begin the search for food earlier in response to this, this would represent ________ within the community.
coevolution
According to this diagram, you should find ________.
deserts anywhere in the world where hot and dry conditions prevail
An earthworm that feeds on the remains of plants and animals is acting as a _____.
detritivore
When a parasite lives inside the human gastrointestinal tract, absorbing some of the human's nutrients at the human's expense, it is considered a(n) __________ interaction.
exploitative
By definition, parasites ________ their host.
feed on and harm
Desert and tundra both ________.
have relatively low precipitation
Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below. Human activities, including fossil fuel combustion, farming, and deforestation, are known to increase atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Measurable warming of Earth due to these gases can alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the direct climatic effects on organisms within biomes, warming can melt permafrost in the tundra and increase precipitation in arctic areas. Global warming also can increase sea surface temperatures, melting sea ice in the Arctic and increasing the intensity of hurricanes in temperate and tropical coastal areas. Within communities, climatic change can shift interdependent species "out-of-sync," potentially causing indirect loss of species. The relationship between caterpillars and flowering plants is best described as ________.
herbivory
The growth of trees in the Serengeti ecosystem is __________.
inhibited by the dense soil that resists the penetration of tree roots
Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below. Human activities, including fossil fuel combustion, farming, and deforestation, are known to increase atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Measurable warming of Earth due to these gases can alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the direct climatic effects on organisms within biomes, warming can melt permafrost in the tundra and increase precipitation in arctic areas. Global warming also can increase sea surface temperatures, melting sea ice in the Arctic and increasing the intensity of hurricanes in temperate and tropical coastal areas. Within communities, climatic change can shift interdependent species "out-of-sync," potentially causing indirect loss of species. Which of the following might be first to populate an area after glaciers melt in response to global climate change?
lichens
Which of the following are pioneer species?
lichens
Global climate change may cause shifts in biomes because ________.
mean temperature and precipitation for many areas will change
What two types of relationships exhibit symbiosis?
mutualism and parasitism
Which type of feedback loop acts to resist change in natural systems, thereby enhancing system stability and promoting conditions favorable for life?
negative
A restoration ecologist may do all of the following EXCEPT:
place levees in sensitive areas to prevent seasonal flooding.
A cow eating grass is an example of a _____.
primary consumer
In an ecosystem, phytoplankton are _____.
producers
A climax community always ________.
remains in place until a disturbance restarts succession
Ecological restoration tries to __________.
return ecosystems to a more "natural" state, often what they were like before industrial civilization altered them
When a human eats a steak, the human is acting as a _____.
secondary consumer
Human activities, including fossil fuel combustion, farming, and deforestation, are known to increase atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Measurable warming of Earth due to these gases can alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the direct climatic effects on organisms within biomes, warming can melt permafrost in the tundra and increase precipitation in arctic areas. Global warming also can increase sea surface temperatures, melting sea ice in the Arctic and increasing the intensity of hurricanes in temperate and tropical coastal areas. Within communities, climatic change can shift interdependent species "out-of-sync," potentially causing indirect loss of species. Intense hurricanes that may result from global warming can directly lead to ________ within impacted terrestrial communities.
secondary succession
Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below. Human activities, including fossil fuel combustion, farming, and deforestation, are known to increase atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Measurable warming of Earth due to these gases can alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the direct climatic effects on organisms within biomes, warming can melt permafrost in the tundra and increase precipitation in arctic areas. Global warming also can increase sea surface temperatures, melting sea ice in the Arctic and increasing the intensity of hurricanes in temperate and tropical coastal areas. Within communities, climatic change can shift interdependent species "out-of-sync," potentially causing indirect loss of species. Intense hurricanes that may result from global warming can directly lead to ________ within impacted terrestrial communities
secondary succession
Techniques used in controlling the spread of fire ants include _____.
setting baits that kill the queen when they are carried back to the nest, applying chemical powders that kill the colony, introducing a protist to infect the fire ant queen and her eggs, and introducing a fly that lays eggs in fire ants so that the eggs will hatch into larvae that eat their way into the ants' heads, which will then fall off
The energy content and biomass of ________ is lowest in any terrestrial food web.
top carnivores
A trophic cascade is the effect of ________ on ________.
top consumers; lower trophic levels
The tropical monsoon climate consists mostly of __________.
tropical rain forest
