Responses
Energy Flow
Population Ecology
Community Ecology
Miscellaneous
100
What is the correlation between breeding behavior to produce offspring in the spring and food supply?
A. Breeding behavior and food supply are not correlated.
B. Breeding behavior decreases as food supply increases because offspring will likely survive.
C. Breeding behavior increases as food supply decreases in order to have many offspring, as not all will survive.
D. Breeding behavior increases as food supply increases, to maximize the chance of offspring survival.
D. Breeding behavior increases as food supply increases, to maximize the chance of offspring survival.
100
Which of the following best describes what happens to the amount of energy as it flows from organism to organism up a pyramid of energy, food chain, or food web?
A. 90% is transferred to a different feeding level and 10% is lost as heat.
B. 80% is used by cells and 20% is stored in organic compounds found in food products.
C. 90% is lost as heat and 10% is available for metabolic processes, like cell respiration.
D. 80% is recycled across all trophic levels and 10% is transferred to the highest trophic level.
C. 90% is lost as heat and 10% is available for metabolic processes, like cell respiration.
100
In the population growth rate equation what does the B stand for?
dN/dt= B- D
Birth rate
100
What type of symbiosis is occurring?
Heartworms can be found in the circulatory system of dogs. These worms feed off the blood and tissues of the dog. The dog can develop circulatory issues due to the presence of worms
A. commensalism
B. mutualism
C. parasitism
C. parasitism
100
Nursing bees take care of the queen and newly hatched bees. However, nursing bees themselves do not reproduce. How could natural selection act upon such behavior?
A. Because this behavior does not directly benefit the nursing bee itself, it is not favored by natural selection.
B. Because this behavior increases the number of surviving offspring that share genes with the nursing bee, it is favored by natural selection.
C. Because this behavior selectively decreases the number of offspring harboring non-similar genes with the nursing bee, it is favored by natural selection.
D. Because this behavior does not increase the number of surviving offspring that are identical in genes with the nursing bee, it is not favored by natural selection.
B. Because this behavior increases the number of surviving offspring that share genes with the nursing bee, it is favored by natural selection.
200
What type of learning is used by the animal.
A heron catches more fish when it stands in areas with reeds. It catches fewer fish when it does not.
A. imprinting
B. spatial
C. associative
D. problem- solving
C. associative
200
Which statement best describes the role of primary producers in an ecosystem?
A. Producers use organic compounds as a source of nutrients to produce energy.
B. Producers convert light or solar energy into chemical energy.
C. Producers use waste and dead organisms as energy sources.
D. Producers consume organic compounds in order to generate energy for photosynthesis.
B. Producers convert light or solar energy into chemical energy.
200
Ecologists are studying a population of 100 deer. The rmax for the population is 0.010. The ecologists want to predict the change of the population over one year. The deer are currently living in ideal conditions.
Which correctly predicts the change in population size over one year?
A. increase of 10 deer
B. decrease of 10 deer
C. increase of 110 deer
D. decrease of 110 deer
A. increase of 10 deer
200
Currently, some states are petitioning to remove wolves. Which statement best describes one possible effect of wolf eradication?
A. Prey populations of wolves will significantly increase.
B. Prey populations of wolves will significantly decrease.
C. While prey populations will increase, the populations of organisms at other trophic levels will also be affected.
D. While prey populations will increase, the populations of organisms at other trophic levels will also increase.
C. While prey populations will increase, the populations of organisms at other trophic levels will also be affected.
200
Animals attract mates through a variety of behaviors. Diurnal animals tend to rely on visual cues, while nocturnal ones make frequent use of pheromones.
In recent years, environmental pollutants called endocrine disruptors are on the rise. Such chemicals mimic hormones in higher-order animals and interfere with the reproductive cycle.
Which animal’s reproduction would be most seriously affected in the presence of endocrine disruptors?
A. rats
B. bees
C. fireflies
D. fiddler crabs
A. rats
300
Which of the following are adaptations to warn predators? Check all that apply.
A. Hawk moth caterpillars have coloring that resembles a venomous pit viper.
B. Velvet ants have bright colors and produce audible noises when grabbed.
C. Beavers swim quickly and have a tail that acts like the rudder of a ship.
D. The pea leafminer plant produces volatile compounds to attract wasps.
E. Skunks produce a noxious odor and have a distinctive white stripe.
F. The rattlesnake shakes the rattles on the tip of its tail.
A. Hawk moth caterpillars have coloring that resembles a venomous pit viper.
B. Velvet ants have bright colors and produce audible noises when grabbed.
E. Skunks produce a noxious odor and have a distinctive white stripe.
F. The rattlesnake shakes the rattles on the tip of its tail.
300
What is a ladybug feeding on a bug that is perched on a plant leaf?
A. a detritivore
B. a herbivore
C. a carnivore
D. an omnivore
C. a carnivore
300
Which statement best describes the relationship between primary and secondary ecological events?
A. Primary and secondary ecological events equally affect populations.
B. Secondary ecological events are dependent on primary ecological events.
C. Changes in primary ecological events are affected by secondary ecological events.
D. Primary and secondary ecological events counter one another, balancing populations.
C. Changes in primary ecological events are affected by secondary ecological events.
300
Mistletoe is a common name for a plant that attaches itself to a tree or another plant. Once attached, it extracts water and nutrients from the tree or other plant.
Which best explains which is the parasite and which is the host?
A. The mistletoe is the parasite because it benefits from the interaction while the other plant is harmed.
B. The mistletoe is the parasite because it is helping the other plant by storing important nutrients.
C. The mistletoe is the host because it is creating a habitat and shelter for other organisms within the ecological community.
D. Both the mistletoe and the other plant are parasites because they are both getting nutrients from one another.
A. The mistletoe is the parasite because it benefits from the interaction while the other plant is harmed.
300
The predator-prey relationship between five generations of wolves and elk is shown in the graph.
In Yellowstone National Park, wolves were killed off in the 1930s. As a result, a trophic cascade occurred as the elk population increased drastically, and damage to willow trees was evident as the elk stayed stationary and fed on one specific area of trees. This negatively affected the beaver population, who rely on willow trees for their dams and for food, and songbirds, who only breed in willow trees. When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, the elk population declined, but then entered into a predator-prey cycle, as shown in the graph. As a result, the willow trees grew healthier and larger as elk were forced to move around to avoid contact with the wolves.
Which of the following best explains the effect that the reintroduction of the wolves might have on the songbird population in the willow patches?
A. The songbird population would decrease because a new predator was introduced to the ecosystem.
B. The songbird population would increase because songbirds have more access to safe breeding grounds.
C. The songbird population would increase due to less competition for food because the elk population decreased.
D. The songbird population would stay the same because songbirds are not directly preyed upon or in competition with elk or wolves.
B. The songbird population would increase because songbirds have more access to safe breeding grounds.
400
Which behaviors are instraspecific (among the same species) communication.
A. pheromone trails laid down by ants.
B. bullfrog croaking to attract a mate
C. rattlesnake rattle
D. honeybee's waggle dance
E. lure protruding from anglerfish head
F. warning colorations in wasps
A. pheromone trails laid down by ants.
B. bullfrog croaking to attract a mate
D. honeybee's waggle dance
400
If primary consumers have 8,000 kcal of energy how much energy does the secondary consumers have?
800 kcal
400
What limiting factors are density dependent?
A. increase temperatures
B. increase in predators in the area
C. parasitic outbreak
D. human deforestation
E. available food resources
F. flooding due to frequent storms
B. increase in predators in the area
C. parasitic outbreak
E. available food resources
400
What type of symbiosis is occurring?
Bacteria found in many organisms’ guts aid in the breakdown of complex molecules.
A. commensalism
B. mutualism
D. parasitism
B. mutualism
400
In an aquatic ecosystem, the effects of two keystone species over a period of time are theorized as shown. Keystone species 1 is a new species of dinoflagellate that is a mutualist and keystone species 2 is Ephemerovirus, a pathogen. Based on the graph, which explanation describes the effect that a keystone species can have in an environment and why?
A. Keystone species decrease diversity in an environment because they are top predators.
B. Keystone species increase diversity in an environment because they are prey organisms.
C. A pathogen could be a keystone species because of its far-ranging effects and it would increase diversity.
D. A pathogen could be a keystone species because of its far-ranging effects and it would decrease diversity.
D. A pathogen could be a keystone species because of its far-ranging effects and it would decrease diversity.
500
Which statements are benefits of living in a group? Check all that apply.
A. Increased ability to take care of offspring
B. Increased rate of reproduction
C. Increased visibility to predators
D. Increased competition
E. Increased foraging efficiency
A. Increased ability to take care of offspring
B. Increased rate of reproduction
E. Increased foraging efficiency
500
Which of the following organisms exhibit low-energy demands? Check all that apply.
A. lizards basking in the Sun
B. cheetahs chasing after their prey
C. sloths resting on a tree
D. dogs chasing after other dogs
E. snails retracting inside their shell
F. plants blooming in the spring
A. lizards basking in the Sun
C. sloths resting on a tree
E. snails retracting inside their shell
500
A population of lizards has a birth rate of 225 lizards per year and a death rate of 215 lizards per year.
Use the given information to answer the questions.
What is the growth rate?
10
500
According to the Simpson diversity index, what does n stand for?
n= total number of organisms of a particular species
500
Biogeographical studies illustrate how weather events affect ecosystem distributions and habitat change.
As an example, the satellite images of El Niño and La Niña conditions show the effects of these wind systems that encompass various weather and habitat changes, and show significant differences from normal or neutral conditions.
Dark gray represents cooler water conditions, while light gray represents warmer water conditions. Spotted areas indicate the presence of chlorophyll.
Based on the image, which of the following best explains how El Niño or La Niña conditions affect the presence of phytoplankton and other marine life?
A. During El Niño conditions, there will be less dissolved oxygen and fewer nutrients. This will cause a great increase in phytoplankton that will result in vast increases in at least some marine life.
B. During El Niño conditions, there will be less dissolved oxygen and fewer nutrients. This will cause a reduction in phytoplankton. The result will be a massive reduction in all marine fish and animals.
C. During La Niña conditions, less phytoplankton removes the basic food supply for the animal-like plankton and all other higher organisms. The result will be a massive reduction in all marine fish and animals.
D. During La Niña conditions, there will be a great increase in phytoplankton that will result in vast decreases in marine life. Too much phytoplankton will remove too much oxygen and other nutrients from the water.
B. During El Niño conditions, there will be less dissolved oxygen and fewer nutrients. This will cause a reduction in phytoplankton. The result will be a massive reduction in all marine fish and animals.