Unit 2 MCQ Progress Check

Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following islands would most likely have the highest number of species living on it?

An island 30 hectares in size that is 10 kilometers off the coast of the mainland

Based on the graph above, which of the following years postdisturbance had the greatest species richness?

100

Based on the graph above, which of the following years postdisturbance did sweetgum experience the greatest biomass?

50

Which of the following is an example of an ecosystem service that would provide protection from a hurricane storm surge?

An intact coastal wetland

Salmon May Lose the Ability to Smell Danger as Carbon Emissions Rise The ability to smell is critical for salmon. They depend on scent to avoid predators, sniff out prey, and find their way home at the end of their lives .... Research from the University of Washington and NOAANOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center shows this ... sense of smell might be in trouble as carbon emissions continue to be absorbed by our ocean. ... The research team set up tanks of salt water with three different pHpH levels: today's current average Puget Sound pHpH, the predicted average 5050 years from now, and the predicted average 100100 years in the future. They exposed juvenile coho salmon to these three different pHpH levels for two weeks. After two weeks, the team ran a series of ... tests to see whether the fishes' sense of smell was affected. Fish were placed in a holding tank and exposed to the smell of salmon-skin extract, which indicates a predator attack and usually prompts the fish to hide or swim away. Fish that were in water with current CO2CO2 levels responded normally to the offending odor, but the fish from tanks with higher CO2CO2 levels didn't seem to mind or detect the smell. ... While this study looked specifically at how an altered sense of smell could affect fishes' response to danger, it's likely that other critical behaviors that depend on smell, such as navigation, reproduction, and hunting for food, would also take a hit if fish aren't able to adequately process smells. ... Which of the following best identifies the author's claim?

Acidic water affects the salmon's ability to sense danger from attacking predators by their sense of smell.

An island off the coast of Africa contains a larger percentage of specialist species than generalist species. Which of the following describes the most immediate effect if an invasive generalist species is introduced to the island?

As competition for resources increases, the population size of the island's specialist species will decrease.

Basking on the Brink: A river in India may be the last, best hope for one of the world's largest and most imperiled crocodilians. Dead gharials began washing up on the banks of India's Chambal River in December 2007. By mid-January, the dead reptiles—some the length of two tall men, lined up end to end—numbered in the dozens. By March, more than 110 of the skinny-snouted creatures had been found dead, most along a 30-kilometer (18-mile) stretch of river. Among the largest crocodilians in the world, gharials have long, heavy bodies and relatively small heads with bulging eyes and skinny snouts. Although their rows of pointy teeth look menacing, they are specialized for catching and holding onto fish, and pose little danger to people. The relatively healthy breeding population on the Chambal is precisely why the massive 2008 die-off here caused such alarm. The Chambal contains nearly 80 percent of all the gharials left on Earth. It is the only population large enough to be stable. Speculation ensued among researchers and government officials about what caused the die-off. Early theories focused on widespread pollution. Based on a variety of clues, however, [researchers suspect] illegal or accidental dumping of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac that was once commonly used on livestock but was banned in India in 2006. A few years earlier, also in South Asia, the drug was responsible for a sharp decline of vultures, which all showed signs of kidney dysfunction like the dead gharials examined in 2008. The die-off . . . illustrates the potentially catastrophic consequences that disruptions to water bodies can have on aquatic species that are close to the brink. For a species that is struggling, the fate of this river will determine its future. Which of the following best identifies the author's claim?

Anthropogenic disruptions to Earth's resources can have sudden and severe negative consequences to the health of native species, specifically those whose populations are already threatened.

In the 1970s, the amount of industrial pollution decreased and the trees began to return to their preindustrial appearance. Which of the following graphs best demonstrates the change in the frequencies of light-colored moths and dark-colored moths in the population from 1950 to 2000?

As pollution decreased, the trees will have lighter bark again, making them more suitable for the light-colored moths. Light-colored moths will survive and reproduce better than dark-colored moths, and their relative percentage in the population will increase.

Which of the following best describes the trends in atmospheric CO2 concentration and Antarctic temperature over the past 800,000 years?

Atmospheric CO2 concentration and Antarctic temperature are directly correlated over the past 800,000 years.

Based on the information above, which ecosystem most likely experienced a recent population bottleneck?

Ecosystem A, because its low genetic diversity could have resulted from an event that reduced the variation in the gene pool.

Based on the information above, which ecosystem would most likely recover the fastest from a natural disruption?

Ecosystem B

Which statement is best supported by the data in the graph?

Finches with larger beaks were more likely to survive in 1980 because they were able to feed primarily on seeds and nuts during the drought.

Based on the information above, which of the following best describes Ecosystem C?

Its low habitat diversity indicates that Ecosystem C most likely has a low number of specialist species and few species that utilize large territories.

Reef fish inherit tolerance to warming oceans In a rapidly changing climate, the decline of animal populations is a very real concern. An international team of researchers reported new evidence of reef fish adjusting to global warming conditions at the genetic level. [R]esearchers . . . have found that reef fish can inherit from their parents the genetic tools to adjust to ocean warming. "When parents are exposed to an increase in water temperature, we found that their offspring improved their performance in these otherwise stressful conditions by selectively modifying their epigenome." Epigenetic change refers to chemical modifications in the DNA that signals genes to be switched on or off. A range of factors, including disease, famine, or in the case of this research, heat stress, can stimulate these subtle changes. In this study, when both parent and offspring experienced the same elevated water temperatures, responsive changes . . . were observed that enhanced the next generation's ability to cope with the new, warmer temperatures. "We reared spiny chromis damselfish . . . for two generations under three different water temperatures, up to 3 degrees Celsius warmer than current-day ocean temperatures. The next generation appeared to be advantaged by parental exposure to elevated temperatures. The offspring's altered gene expression, also referred to as 'acclimation,' allowed them to maximize oxygen consumption and energy use." "Acclimation may buffer populations against the impacts of rapid environmental change and provide time for genetic adaptation to catch up over the longer term." Which of the following best identifies the author's claim?

Observed adjustments in the ecological tolerance of a species of reef fish is a result of epigenetic changes.

Which of the following ecosystem services is categorized as regulating?

Pollination, decomposition, and water purification

Which of the following economic consequences to a provisioning ecosystem service will most likely result from increased global warming?

The collapse of local fisheries, because of the damage to coral reefs from ocean acidification

Which of the following best describes the pattern in the atmospheric CO2 concentration data over the past 200,000 years?

The concentration of CO2 fluctuated between 150ppm and 250ppm until recently, when the concentration rose exponentially.

The image shows two different islands and the relative distance to the nearest mainland. Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following best predicts the effect of the introduction of an invasive species on Easter Island compared to Madagascar?

The native species on Madagascar are more likely to survive because the island is larger and provides a greater diversity of habitats and resources.

Based on the data in the graph, which of the following best describes the change in the population of moths as a result of industrialization?

The percentage of dark colored moths increased in the population and the percentage of light-colored moths decreased in the population.

Which of the following best describes the change in Antarctic temperature from about 440,000 years ago to about 340,000 years ago?

The temperature increases by about 12°C and then decreases by about 12°C.

Based on the graph above, which of the following tree species would be the predominant species found during the intermediate stage of succession?

Tulip poplar