Ecology Notes and Study Set

How can an increase in biodiversity lead to an increase in ecosystem stability?

A more biodiverse ecosystem has a higher chance of adapting to species changes.

Which of the following is not an example of predation?

A tree obtaining nutrients from the soil

The binomial system of nomenclature was developed by:

Carolus Linnaeus

Many dogs bark when unknown individuals approach their house. What type of interaction is this?

Competition

What will happen to the other members of the food chain if the grasshoppers are removed?

If an animal were to be removed from a food chain, the entire ecosystem could easily fall apart or futhermore be destroyed. Say that a herbivore such as a mouse that feeds on grass was too be removed. And that the mouse would be eaten by a snake..the snake population would decrease from starvation and the grass would increase.

What is the difference between commensalism and mutualism?

In commensalism one of the organisms benefits while the other receives no benefit but is unharmed. In mutualism, both organisms benefit.

The Hawaiian Islands are home to many endangered species. Why do you think the Hawaii Department of Agriculture is so strict about allowing nonnative species onto the islands?

It is so strict because a foreign species could compete with a native species and drive it to extinction.

The domestic cat and humans belong to the same:

Kingdom, Phylum and Class

The organism P. malariae lives in red blood cells, causing the host organism to experience high fevers and chills. What type of relationship is this?

Parasitism

Explain how parasitism differs from commensalism.

Parasitism and commensalism both benefit one organism, but in parasitism the second organism is affected while in commensalism it is not.

What are three reasons that organisms interact?

Possible answers include mating, competition for food resources, defense, and assertion of dominance.

What will happen to snakes in the long term if mice become extinct?

Snakes will die out if they do not find an alternative food source.

It is beneficial for plants to have their seeds dispersed to reduce competition. Explain how a bird eating fruit is an example of mutualism.

The birds benefit from eating the fruit and the plant benefits by having its seeds dispersed.

What would happen to the other members of the food chain if the plant population was wiped out?

The populations of grasshoppers would decrease, while the population of mice and snakes would increase.

What are three possible long-term consequences of two species occupying the same niche?

The species that is being excluded from the niche can either adapt in the long term to occupy another similar niche, migrate to a new area, or it can die out.

What happened to the greenish warbler birds as they migrated from the southern portion of their range up around the Tibetan Plateau?

They evolved separately as they moved north and became two separate species.

Why is it that two species cannot occupy the same niche for an extended period of time?

Two species occupying the same niche will be competing for the same food resource. Since the resource is limited, the stronger species will have more access to the food resource and will drive the other species to exclusion from that niche.

chemosynthetic prokaryotes that live in harsh environments

achaebateria

An increase in biodiversity generally causes _______.

an increase in ecosystem stability

What is a possible cause for a decrease in ecosystem productivity?

an increase in the biodiversity of the ecosystem

Which of the following is an example of symbiosis?

barnacles living on a whale's skin

The number and structure of ______ can help to determine evolutionary relationships between species.

chromosomes

branching diagram that models the phylogeny of a species based on the derived traits of group of organisms

cladogram

The placing of information or objects into groups based on certain similarities is _____.

classification

Living organisms interact in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes. The imperial shrimp rides on sea cucumbers as they travel underwater. This interaction enables the shrimp to use little to no energy to move between the areas in which it feeds. The sea cucumber is typically unaware that the shrimp is using it for transport. Which type of interaction occurs between the imperial shrimp and its host organism?

commensalism

Animals marking their territory with urine is an example of _______.

competition

What are the three types of interactions between organisms in an ecosystem?

competition, predation, and symbiosis

How would a scientist study the relationship between the frogamander and modern frogs and salamanders?

create a phylogenic tree

What is a cladogram used to do?

determine in which kingdom a species belongs

Cladistics is a way to separate animals into new species.

false

In Aristotle's system of classification, animals were classified on the basis of their size and structure.

false

In the name of the white oak, Quercus alba, Quercus is the species name.

false

Migration is always temporary.

false

Protists are prokaryotes.

false

Territorial behavior does not extend to organisms of different species.

false

The terms commensalism and mutualism have the same meaning and are interchangeable.

false

There are five kingdoms of organisms.

false

Which level of taxonomic classification do thresher sharks and great white sharks not have in common?

genus

Aristotle classified animals according to their ____________________.

habitat and physical differences

Which characteristic is seen in whales, but not in phytoplankton?

heterotrophic cell walls unicellular

The water hyacinth is an invasive species that can spread extremely fast, blanketing a water surface in a very short period of time. It can limit boat traffic, swimming, and fishing, and it can deprive native plants and animals of sunlight and oxygen, thus reducing the local biodiversity. This situation demonstrates _______.

how changes in biodiversity impact an ecosystem

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding cladistic analysis?

it is extremely subjective

What is a cladogram used to do?

model a phylogeny

What are the three types of symbiosis?

mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism

Competitive exclusion occurs when _______.

organisms attempt to fill the same niche

The evolutionary history of a species can be displayed in a ______.

phylogeny

The evolutionary history of a species is its _____.

phylogeny

group of multicellular oxygen producers

plants

Taxonomy is used to indicate the level of similarity between different organisms. Canis lupus, the gray wolf, is related to Canis familiaris, the domestic dog. Which level of taxonomy do these organisms not have in common?

species

Scientists who study the structural similarities and differences between organisms are called ______.

taxonomists

A dichotomous key is a step-by-step way to identify an organism using a series of paired descriptions.

true

Behavioral differences between species can help to identify evolutionary relationships.

true

Ecosystems with greater biodiversity have an increased stability.

true

The competitive exclusion principle can lead to adaptation of organisms trying to occupy the same niche.

true

The competitive exclusion principle states that two organisms cannot fill the same niche.

true