Ecology LC and other practice questions
When studying how the H1N1 virus is transferred to an individual, what ecosystem level are you assessing? A.Organism B.Population C.Community D.Ecosystem E.Biosphere
A
At Glacier Bay, Alaska, why were Dryas (an herbaceous plant) and alder trees among the first plants to appear during the ecological succession of gravel deposits left behind by a retreating glacier? Dryas and alder trees have nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules on their roots. Dryas and alder trees are the most abundant plants that grow in that area. Dryas and alder trees grow well on rocky soil. The seeds of Dryas and alder trees are easily transported to gravel deposits.
a
By what process does nitrogen enter the living components of ecosystems? Through fixation by microbes By ingestion of plants or other primary producers whose tissues contain protein and other organic molecules that themselves contain nitrogen By human-made industrial processes Absorbed as nitrogen gas from the atmosphere
a
Lizards and guinea pigs both eat the exact same type of kibble. If you're farming for meat, and you want to maximize the production of your farm, which animal is a better choice? (note for the geeky among you: They are also the same size and same surface area : volume ratio) Lizards Guinea pigs
a
Order the Events of Hadley Cells a) Solar radiation/heat → warm air rises → clouds form → moisture drops → cool air descends b) Solar radiation/heat → clouds form → warm air rises → moisture drops → cool air descends c) Warm air rises → solar radiation/heat → moisture drops → clouds form → cool air descends d) Cool air descends → clouds form → moisture drops → solar radiation/heat → warm air rises
a
Refer to figure above. Suppose human activities that influence the carbon cycle came to a complete stop. Use the information provided in the figure to predict the net effect on global carbon cycling. Carbon cycling would be shifted toward an increase in deposition in sediments and fossil fuels and a decrease in inorganic carbon dioxide levels. Carbon cycling would be shifted toward an increase in dissolution of carbon dioxide into ocean waters and a decrease in carbon levels in living plant biomass. Carbon cycling would be brought into balance so that it moves at equal rates through all compartments. Carbon cycling would be shifted toward an increase in outgassing of carbon dioxide from ocean waters and a decrease in carbon levels in living plant biomass.
a
Refer to the graph below. The solid blue and green lines trace the population growth of two different species living in isolation in the same environment without the other species present. The dotted lines trace the population growth of the same species living together in the same environment. What can be concluded about these two species? All of the above Species A has a negative effect on species B. Species B has a negative effect on species A. They can coexist in the same environment.
a
Refer to the graph below. The red and green solid lines show changes over the same time period for two populations of two different animal species living in the same region. Which of the following statements can be made about these two populations? The two populations stabilize at the same number of individuals. The two populations share the same resources. The two populations have the same rate of births and deaths. The two populations both reached their carrying capacity simultaneously.
a
Refer to the table below. The information in the table provides general descriptions of a mountain region and its eastern and western sides. Based on this information, where would you most likely find a large water resource and in what direction would the prevailing winds blow? A large body of water lies to the east of the mountains, and prevailing winds blow from east to west. A large body of water lies to the west of the mountains, and prevailing winds blow from west to east. A large body of water lies to the east of the mountains, and prevailing winds blow from west to east. A large body of water lies to the west of the mountains, and prevailing winds blow from east to west.
a
The Cascade Mountains bisect the state of Washington into western and eastern portions. The western portion is bounded on its western border by the Pacific Ocean. The eastern portion is bounded on its eastern border by the state of Idaho. What might you predict about these two portions based on the information presented in the tutorial? Eastern Washington has a higher proportion of drought-resistant vegetation than western Washington. Eastern Washington is wetter than western Washington. Eastern Washington is more humid than western Washington. Eastern Washington has more vegetation than western Washington.
a
What is meant by the term "doubling time" and how did changing values for N0 affect the doubling time of a population? Doubling time is the amount of time needed for a population to double in size; increasing N0 did not change the doubling time. Doubling time is the time needed for an individual in the population to reproduce itself; increasing N0 did not change the doubling time. Doubling time is the time needed for an individual in the population to reproduce itself; increasing N0 decreased the doubling time. Doubling time is the amount of time needed for a population to double in size; increasing N0 increased the doubling time.
a
Which of the following biomes has the greatest annual rainfall? Tropical rain forest Temperate seasonal forest Subtropical desert Tropical seasonal forest/savanna
a
Which of the following is the major compartment for carbon in Earth's system? Fossil fuels Dissolved CO2 in oceans Atmospheric CO2 Living biomass
a
You are a species of squirrel that is preyed upon by foxes, which are preyed upon by mountain lions. A new species of squirrel is introduced to your ecosystem. This squirrel eats entirely different plants than you do, but it shares the same fox predator. What do you predict the population of the fox will do over time, in response to this change in the biotic environment? (hint: foxes in this system are food limited). increase decrease stay the same
a
Alfred Russel Wallace proposed that a line (now known as Wallace's line) separates two distinct faunal regions in Southeast Asia, between Bali and Lombok. We now know that this distinctive "line" is a boundary because of distance between the islands. depth of the ocean trench between the islands. climate differences. soil differences.
b
Average temperatures at high latitudes are cooler than those at low latitudes because the poles are farther from the sun than the equator is. solar input is greater at the equator than at the poles. there is more land to absorb heat in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere.
b
Gopher tortoises feed on grasses such as wire grass. The tortoise creates burrows in the ground to lay their eggs but the burrows can also be used by other species such as burrowing owls, rabbits, and indigo snakes. The species interaction between gopher tortoises and wire grass can best be described as ___________ and would be depicted as a _______________ line in a diagram while the interaction between the tortoise and the indigo snake would best be described as ________ and would be depicted as a ______________ line on the same diagram. direct, dotted; indirect, solid direct, solid; indirect, dotted indirect, dotted; direct, solid indirect, solid; direct, dotted
b
How are humans influencing the nitrogen cycle? By increasing the production of oxides of nitrogen and other chemical forms through burning fossil fuels and biomass All of the above By increasing the production of oxides of nitrogen and other chemical forms through livestock production and some forms of agriculture By increasing the rate of nitrogen fixation through industrial processes and intensive agriculture
b
How long will it take a population of 550 moose to double if 25 offspring are born and 14 moose die on average per year? 26.9 years 34.5 years 79.0 years 52.3 years
b
If this population has three mating cycles each year, how many individuals will there be at the end of one year? a)680 b)1965 c)805 d)3266
b
Refer to the figure below. The diagram shows the paths taken by radiation after being absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere and surface. How would the diagram change if the levels of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere were dramatically reduced? The middle arrow showing the amount of radiation leaving through atmospheric transmission would be much smaller. The lower arrow for back radiation within the atmosphere would be much smaller. The diagram would show no change. The uppermost arrow showing the total amount of infrared radiation lost to space would be much smaller.
b
Refer to the graph below. The red and green solid lines show changes over the same time period for two different populations of the same plant species. Which of the following statements can be made about these two populations? Both populations are currently experiencing a greater birth rate than death rate. The region where one population lives has fewer resources for sustaining the species than the other. One population is more sensitive to resource limitations than the other. One population has stabilized in number while the other continues to increase in size.
b
The direction of prevailing winds at Earth's surface is determined solely by Hadley cell circulation in the atmosphere that results from latitudinal gradients in solar energy input. a. True b. False
b
What is carrying capacity? The resources needed to support a particular population The number of individuals in a population that can be supported by an area The minimum size of a population necessary for ensuring that it can continue into the future The area of land capable of supporting a particular population
b
Which of the following factors are important in determining the type of biome that characterizes a particular region? Precipitation and land area Temperature and precipitation Land area and latitude Longitude and temperature
b
Which of the following is an outcome of interspecific competition? Both species grow at greater rates than would occur if they were present in the same environment without the other. Only one species survives; the other goes extinct. All of the above Both species coexist at population densities greater than would be present if they existed in the same environment without the other.
b
Which of the following sequences places the aquatic biomes in order from lowest to highest salinity? Mangrove forest, river, coral reef Stream, salt marsh, seagrass bed Hydrothermal vent, wetland, pond Open ocean, river, kelp forest
b
Which of the following sets of factors is important in distinguishing aquatic biomes? Salinity, longitude, precipitation, water temperature Water temperature, water depth, water currents, salinity Climate, latitude, water currents, water depth Water temperature, climate, salinity, precipitation
b
Which of the following statements about air is correct? As air falls, it expands and becomes warmer. As air falls, it contracts and becomes warmer. As air rises, it expands and becomes warmer. As air rises, it contracts and becomes cooler.
b
Which pathway represents the shortest path that a nitrogen atom in atmospheric nitrogen, N2, could travel and end up in a protein in a human? N2 → human N2 → bacterium → plant → human N2 → bacterium → animal → human N2 → bacterium → human
b
Which statement is supported by the MacArthur-Wilson model simulation? With time, colonization rates go up and extinction rates go down, leading to an equilibrium characterized by no net change in species richness. Species diversity depends on the rates of colonization and extinction, which depend on the size and location of an island. Only large islands or islands close to the mainland reach equilibrium between colonization and extinction rates. Eventually, no matter the size of an island or its distance from the mainland, the rates of colonization and extinction of species reach zero.
b
Winter and summer seasons occur because Earth is farther from the sun in winter and closer to it in summer. a. True b. False
b
You are studying a population of chimps. There are a total of 23 individuals old enough to breed, 10 females and 13 males. Two dominant males, Ed and Bob, are bullies, and are the only breeding males. All females breed. What is the "effective population size" (Ne)? 23 individuals 6.66 individuals 3.33 individuals you cannot tell from this information
b
A student remarks that it is a good thing that humans discovered how to use industrial processes to fix nitrogen because this ensures that the nitrogen cycle can remain intact if nitrogen-fixing bacteria ever go extinct. Evaluate the accuracy of this statement. The statement is accurate because nitrogen-fixing bacteria are the only living things that can fix nitrogen through biochemical pathways, and their loss would be devastating. The statement is accurate because humans are able to fix nitrogen on a large scale that rivals the rate of the process carried out by bacteria. The statement is inaccurate because humans would not be able to distribute the product of nitrogen fixation from industrial processes in the same way that bacteria are able to distribute it globally now. The statement is inaccurate because the product of nitrogen fixation through industrial processes does not have the same biological properties as the product of nitrogen fixation by bacteria.
c
After reading about the changes at Glacier Bay, a student remarks that the pattern and interactions of organisms present at each stage in succession creates the conditions that lead to the pattern present at the next stage. A second student remarks that the soil produced at each stage of succession helps define the pattern present at the next stage. Evaluate these two statements. The first statement is accurate, but the second statement is not accurate. Neither statement is accurate. Both statements are accurate. The second statement is accurate, but the first statement is not accurate.
c
At time t=0, there are 400 members of a geometrically reproductive population. 30% are reproductive-aged females who have 3 offspring at a time. Their per capita death rate is 0.2. What is r? a)0.1 b)0.3 c)0.7 d)0.9
c
How do changing values for r affect the growth rate of a population? Populations grow when r is negative, remain constant when r is zero, and shrink when r is positive. Populations grow when r is negative, remain constant when r is positive, and shrink when r is zero. Populations grow when r is positive, remain constant when r is zero, and shrink when r is negative. Populations grow when r is positive, remain constant when r is negative, and shrink when r is zero.
c
If N = 1000 in a population, and there are 40 births that year, and 60 deaths, what is the "r" for the population? (Hint: first calculate the per capita birth and death rates, then subtract b - m to get "r".) - 0.2 0.02 - 0.02 1.2
c
In a huge (hypothetical) experiment, scientists found that if they watered and fertilized land at 30 degrees north for 50 years, species richness increased dramatically. This observation is consistent with which hypothesis about the latitudinal gradient in species richness? the evolutionary rates hypothesis the history hypothesis the ecological limits hypothesis these results are not consistent with any of the above hypotheses these results are consistent with all of the above hypotheses
c
Refer to the equation below. What do each of the two terms labeled as 1 and 2 represent in this equation? 1 = Effect of species A on growth rate of species B; 2 = Effect of species B on growth rate of species A 1 = Effect of species A on growth rate of species B; 2 = Density-dependent growth rate of species B 1 = Density-dependent growth rate of species A; 2 = Effect of species B on growth rate of species A 1 = Density-dependent growth rate of species A; 2 = Density-dependent growth rate of species B
c
Refer to the equation below. Why are the two terms labeled as 1 and 2 connected by a minus sign? Because an increase in the population of species A has a positive effect on the growth of species B Because an increase in the population of species A has a negative effect on the growth of species B Because an increase in the population of species B has a negative effect on the growth of species A Because an increase in the population of species B has a positive effect on the growth of species A
c
Refer to the table below. Biologists collected the data shown above from bird species inhabiting two islands near a mainland. According to the MacArthur-Wilson model, what could be the relationship between the two islands? Island 1 could be larger than Island 2 and farther from the mainland than Island 2. Island 1 could be the same size as Island 2 and farther from the mainland than Island 2. Island 1 could be the same size as Island 2 and closer to the mainland than Island 2. Island 1 could be the same distance from the mainland as Island 2 and smaller than Island 2.
c
What form of radiation is absorbed by Earth's surface and atmosphere, and what form does this radiation take when it eventually moves off into space? Earth absorbs short-wave infrared radiation and emits long-wave visible and ultraviolet radiation. Earth absorbs long-wave visible and ultraviolet radiation and emits short-wave infrared radiation. Earth absorbs short-wave visible and ultraviolet radiation and emits long-wave infrared radiation. Earth absorbs long-wave infrared radiation and emits short-wave visible and ultraviolet radiation
c
Which of the following aquatic biomes is known for its high biological diversity? Open ocean Mangrove forests Coral reef Hydrothermal vent
c
Which of the following sets of biomes is placed in order from lowest to highest average annual temperature? Subtropical desert, temperate seasonal forest, tropical rain forest Tropical seasonal forest, boreal forest, woodland/shrubland Tundra, woodland/shrubland, subtropical desert Tropical rain forest, temperate seasonal forest, tundra
c
Which of the following sets of biomes is placed in order from most to least biologically diverse? Boreal forest, woodland/shrubland, tropical seasonal forest Subtropical desert, temperate seasonal forest, tropical rain forest Tropical rain forest, temperate seasonal forest, tundra Tundra, woodland/shrubland, subtropical desert
c
Why are tropical latitudes and mountaintops wet? a. Air cools as it rises. b. Liquid water evaporates as it is warmed and water vapor condenses as it is cooled. c. Both a and b are true.
c
You go out and trap desert gerbils. On your first trapping night, you capture 10 gerbils. On your second trapping night, you capture 1000 gerbils, and 5 are marked. How many gerbils do you estimate are in the population? 4000 1000 2000 Only the gerbils know
c
A cosmic catastrophe jolts Earth so that its axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane between Earth and the sun. The LARGEST effect of this change would be The elimination of tides Increase in length of night at the equator Decreased temperature at the equator Elimination of seasonal variation.
d
A tsunami strikes a large peninsula, destroying the bird populations living there. The tsunami also fragments the peninsula into three islands of similar size but different distances from the mainland. What would the MacArthur-Wilson model predict about bird populations on these islands in the future? (Assume that birds do not migrate between islands.) The number of bird species will be constant across all islands as a consequence of their similar sizes. Eventually, the number of bird species inhabiting the islands will be the same, although the amount of time it takes for this to be established on each island will differ. Eventually, the rates of colonization and extinction of birds on all of the islands will be the same, although the amount of time it takes for this to be established on each island will differ. The rates of colonization of bird species will decrease with increasing distance of the island from the mainland, leading to lesser diversity with distance.
d
According to results from the simulation in the tutorial, which island characteristics are associated with the highest species richness? Small and close to the mainland Small and distant from the mainland Large and distant from the mainland Large and close to the mainland
d
At Glacier Bay, Alaska, the gravel deposits left behind by a retreating glacier were colonized first by which of the following organisms? Shallow-rooted herbs Mosses Trees Microorganisms
d
How are humans influencing the carbon cycle? Through changes in land use, which increase the atmospheric pools of CO2 and CH4 By cutting forests and burning biomass, which increase the atmospheric pool of CO2 By burning fossil fuels and manufacturing cement, which increase the atmospheric pool of CO2 All of the above
d
How do greenhouse gases and aerosols in the atmosphere affect Earth's radiation budget? Greenhouse gases increase the trapping of infrared radiation emitted by Earth and aerosols increase the amount of solar radiation that reaches Earth's atmosphere. Both decrease the trapping of infrared radiation emitted by Earth. Both increase the trapping of infrared radiation emitted by Earth. Greenhouse gases increase the trapping of infrared radiation emitted by Earth, and aerosols decrease the amount of solar radiation that reaches Earth's atmosphere.
d
If the size of a population is greater than the carrying capacity (K), what will happen to the population? The population will experience no births. The population size will not change. The population size will increase. The population will experience more deaths than births.
d
Precipitation tends to be _______ on the _______ side of a mountain because water vapor _______ as it rises there. lower; windward; expands higher; leeward; expands lower; leeward; condenses higher; windward; condenses
d
The equations used in the tutorial apply to populations over short time intervals. Why can they not be applied to populations over very long time periods? The equations only apply to small populations and so populations become disqualified over long time periods as they get larger. Large values for time cannot be used in the equations without generating error. The equations are meant for theoretical applications only and cannot be used in the study of real populations. Real populations are affected by resource limitations that are not accounted for in the equations.
d
The table shows data representing three planets: Venus, Earth, and Mars. Use information provided in the tutorial to help you think about what the data show. Which of the following statements must be true about the atmospheres on these three planets? The compositions of their atmospheres explain the surface temperatures observed for these planets. The compositions of their atmospheres have no influence on the surface temperatures observed for these planets. The total quantity of gases making up each planet's atmosphere likely has no influence on the surface temperatures observed for these planets. The total quantity of gases making up each planet's atmosphere is likely to be important to explain their surface temperatures.
d
Use the figure above to compare the quantity of carbon present in the atmosphere to that present in fossil fuels. What percent of the carbon in the fossil fuel compartment would double the amount of carbon in the atmosphere if it was burned? 30% 0.3% 3% 0.003%
d
Which of the following pairs of aquatic biomes shares the most similarities? Ponds and coral reefs Wetlands and open ocean Intertidal zones and lakes Salt marshes and mangrove forests
d
Which of the following statements about ecological transitions is true? It leads to a community resembling the original community. It occurs slowly enough that traces of its earliest stages are difficult to find. It occurs rapidly enough that traces of its earliest stages are quickly lost. It leads to a community distinctly different from the original community.
d