AP Biology Unit 1 Ecology Practice Test

In this biome, agriculture is commonly practiced in a cut-and-burn-cultivate-abandon mode: (A) Grassland (B) Taiga (C) Deciduous forest (D) Tundra (E) Tropical rain forest

Grassland

How does phosphorus normally enter the atmosphere? (A) respiration (B) photosynthesis (C) rock weathering (D) geological uplifting (E) It does not enter the atmosphere in biologically significant amounts.

It does not enter the atmosphere in biologically significant amounts

The gain in biomass remaining after respiratory loss in plants: (A) Symbiosis (B) Law of tolerance (C) Energy pyramid (D) Ecological succession (E) Net primary productivity

Net primary productivity

Which of the following is an important characteristic of the tropical rain forest biome? (A) High light levels on the forest floor. (B) The dominance of a small number of tree species. (C) More widely fluctuating temperatures than in most other biomes. (D) Distinct rainy and dry seasons. (E) Rapid recycling of nutrients.

Rapid recycling of nutrients

The relationship of a fungus and an alga in a lichen: (A) Symbiosis (B) Law of tolerance (C) Energy pyramid (D) Ecological succession (E) Net primary productivity

Symbiosis

Long, cold, moist winters and short summers are typical of this biome dominated by gymnosperms: (A) Deciduous forest (B) Tropical rain forest (C) Desert (D) Tundra (E) Taiga

Taiga

This biome can be recognized by its coniferous forests and relatively infertile acidic soil. (A) Grassland (B) Taiga (C) Deciduous forest (D) Tundra (E) Tropical rain forest

Taiga

All of the following statements about the pyramid of biomass are correct EXCEPT: (A) Biomass is the total dry mass of the organisms present. (B) The base of the pyramid generally represents primary consumers. (C) The amount of biomass at a particular level of the pyramid depends on the amount of energy available. (D) Certain toxins tend to become concentrated at upper levels of the pyramid. (E) Biomass pyramids tend to vary for different ecosystems.

The base of the pyramid generally represents primary consumers

Which of the following is the most direct result of the heating up of pond water during the summer? (A) The water's ability to hold oxygen decreases. (B) The water's ability to act as a buffer changes. (C) The viscosity of the water increases. (D) Hydrogen bonding at the surface of the water increases. (E) Less light penetrates the surface of the water.

The water's ability to hold oxygen decreases

In a mature forest of oak, maple, and hickory trees, a disease causes a reduction in the number of acorns produced by oak trees. Which of the following would least likely be a direct result of this? (A) There might be fewer squirrels because they feed on acorns. (B) There might be fewer mice and seed-eating birds because squirrels would eat more seeds and compete with the mice and birds. (C) There might be an increase in the number of hickory trees because the competition between hickory nuts and acorns for germination sites would be reduced or eliminated. (D) There might be fewer owls because they feed on baby squirrels, mice, and young seed-eating birds, whose populations would be reduced. (E) There might be a decrease in the number of maple seeds as the disease spreads to other trees in the forest

There might be a decrease in the number of maple seeds as the disease spreads to other trees in the forest

In the process of succession, which of the following is true of K-selected plant species? (A) They keep their carrying capacity at a minimum level. (B) They usually reproduce early in life. (C) They are usually found in climax stages of succession. (D) They are the dominant species in early stages of succession. (E) They have a short lifespan.

They are usually found in climax stages of succession

This biome is dominated by dwarf shrubs, grasses, and sedges that can tolerate long dark winters (A) Deciduous forest (B) Tropical rain forest (C) Desert (D) Tundra (E) Taiga

Tundra

An example of Batesian mimicry is (A) an insect that resembles a twig (B) a butterfly that resembles a leaf (C) a nonvenomous snake that looks like a coral snake (D) a fawn with fur coloring that camouflages it in the forest environment (E) a snapping turtle that uses its tongue to mimic a worm, thus attracting fish

a nonvenomous snake that looks like a coral snake

Warning coloration is most effective against vertebrate predators that are: (A) color-blind (B) able to learn through trial and error (C) highly dependent on olfactory sensation (D) camouflaged (E) nocturnal hunters

able to learn through trial and error

Many distasteful insects are brightly colored. What type of behavior might help explain this? (A) fixed action pattern (B) kinesis (C) associative learning (D) spatial learning (E) habituation

associative learning

The study of past and present distribution of species is called (A) demography (B) conservation biology (C) biogeography (D) geography ecology (E) population ecology

biogeography

Life history strategies result from (A) environmental pressure (B) natural selection (C) conscious choice (D) both environmental pressures and natural selection are correct (E) environmental pressures, natural, selection, and conscious choice are all correct

both environmental pressures and natural selection are correct

The pattern of dispersion for a certain species of kelp is clumped. The pattern of dispersion for a certain species of snail that only lives on this kelp would be (A) absolute (B) clumped (C) homogeneous (D) random (E) uniform

clumped

The relationship existing between cattle egrets and cattle (A) parasitism (B) mutualism (C) inhibition (D) facilitation (E) commensalism

commensalism

In the nitrogen cycle, the bacteria that replenish the atmosphere with N2 are (A) Rhizobium bacteria (B) nitrifying bacteria (C) denitrifying bacteria (D) methanogenic protozoans (E) nitrogen-fixing bacteria

denitrifying bacteria

An example of a ball-and-socket joint is found at the junction of the (A) femur with the pelvic girdle (B) humerus with the radius and ulna (C) femur with the tibia and fibula (D) adjacent phalanges

femur with the pelvic girdle

One reason that deserts tend to be found at 20 degrees N and S latitude is that (A) deserts are dry. (B) It's warmer near the equator. (C) global wind and pressure patterns affect where rain falls. (D) desert soils are different from tropical rain forest soils. (E) mountains change rainfall patterns.

global wind and pressure patterns affect where rain falls

Which of the following is characteristic of a fast-moving stream ecosystem? (A) high levels of dissolved oxygen (B) high salinity (C) large numbers of anaerobes (D) eutrophication (E) thermal stratification

high levels of dissolved oxygen

Myasthenia gravis, which leads to skeletal muscle paralysis, might be most directly treated with a therapy that would (A) increase the movement of calcium ions into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. (B) increase the number of available acetylcholine receptors. (C) increase the amount and depth of myelin on motor neurons. (D) increase the synthesis and activity of ATP in the cytosol of skeletal muscles.

increase the number of available acetylcholine receptors

In similar rocky coastal ecosystems where sea otters have disappeared due to human harvesting or killer whale predation, the kelp forests also disappear and the species diversity of the community decreases drastically. In these ecosystems, the sea otter can best be described as: (A) top carnivore (B) keystone species (C) primary producer (D) secondary herbivore (E) dominant species

keystone species

Aquatic primary productivity is often limited by which of the following? (A) light only (B) nutrients only (C) light and nutrients (D) nutrients and pressure (E) light, nutrients, and pressure

light and nutrients

Where would an ecologist find the most phytoplankton in a lake? (A) profundal zone (B) benthic zone (C) limnetic zone (D) oligotrophic zone (E) aphotic zone

limnetic zone

The banding pattern of viceroy butterflies is an example of: (A) mimicry (B) homology (C) polymorphism (D) mutualism (E) commensalism

mimicry

You come across a pair of birds, one female and the other male, but you cannot tell simply by looking at them. This pair of birds is most likely (A) monogamous. (B) polygynous. (C) polygamous. (D) hermaphroditic.

monogamous

An example of cryptic coloration is the (A) stripes of a skunk (B) green color of a plant (C) markings of a viceroy butterfly (D) colors of an insect-pollinated flower (E) mottled coloring of peppered moths living in the unpolluted regions of England

mottled coloring of peppered moths living in the unpolluted regions of England

The relationship existing between ants and acacia trees (A) parasitism (B) mutualism (C) inhibition (D) facilitation (E) commensalism

mutualism

The relationship existing between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (A) parasitism (B) mutualism (C) inhibition (D) facilitation (E) commensalism

mutualism

Which of the following is a symbiotic relationship that was probably present in the first terrestrial plants and is still important for the mineral nutrition of present-day angiosperms? (A) mycorrhizae (B) lichens (C) insects pollinating flowers (D) carnivorous plants feeding on insects (E) epiphytes growing on a tree truck

mycorrhizae

To be certain that two species had coevolved, one would ideally have to establish that (A) the two species are adapted to a common set of environmental conditions (B) each species has an impact on the population density of the other species (C) the local extinction of one species results in the extinction of the other species (D) one species has adaptations that specifically followed evolutionary change in the other species (E) the two species originated at about the same time

one species has adaptations that specifically followed evolutionary change in the other species

During the carbon cycle, which of the following carbon compounds would be utilized as an energy source by heterotrophs? (A) calcium carbonate (B) carbonic acid (C) organic molecules (D) carbon dioxide (E) carbon monoxide

organic molecules

Which of the following is least likely to kill the organism it feeds on? (A) parasitoid (B) predator (C) seed eater (D) carnivore (E) parasite

parasite

In which marine zone would you find the majority of plankton? (A) benthic zone (B) pelagic zone (C) intertidal zone (D) abyssal zone

pelagic zone

From this graph, we can conclude that (A) each biome has distinct temperature and mean annual precipitation. (B) precipitation and temperature determine biomes. (C) precipitation determines temperature. (D) tundra and tropical forest are climatically different. (E) biomes determine precipitation.

precipitation and temperature determine biomes

Tropical grasslands are also known as (A) taiga (B) tundra (C) savanna (D) chaparral (E) temperate plains

savanna

Which of the following is not a function of the lateral line system on fish? (A) monitoring water currents (B) sensing low-frequency sounds (C) detecting vibrations from nearby prey (D) sensing light in the water

sensing light in the water

All of the following are terms that ecologists use to describe communities EXCEPT (A) species richness (B) species diversity (C) resilience (D) symbiosis (E) stability

symbiosis

In which community would organisms be most likely to respond to different photoperiods? (A) tropical forest (B) coral reef (C) savanna (D) temperate forest (E) abyssal

temperate forest

The conspicuous banding displayed by monarch butterflies is an example of: (A) polygenic inheritance (B) polymorphism (C) divergent evolution (D) cryptic coloration (E) warning coloration

warning coloration