Ecology
Which of the following are important biotic factors that can affect the structure and organization of biological communities?
A. Light intensity and seasonality
B. Availability of minerals and soil pH
C. Predation and competition
D. Precipitation and wind
C. Predation and competition
If the life history pattern for a centaur is to reproduce once and then die, the centaur exhibits:
A. Iteroparity
B. Semelparity
C. Density dependent reproduction
D. Dispersion
E. Insanity
B. Semelparity
What is the key process or processes that drive the carbon cycle?
A. Evaporation
B. Photosynthesis and respiration
C. Fixation by prokaryotes
D. PrecipitationB. Photosynthesis and respiration
Which of the following statements best explains why there are rarely more than 5 trophies levels present in a food chain?
A. Most carnivores function at more than one trophic level.
B. Trophic levels above this number contain too many individuals leading to too much competition.
C. Energy is lost from each level to the next.
D. Top carnivores are too few in number to catch prey effectively
C. Energy is lost from each level to the next.
Which of the following biomes can only exist with very little precipitation?
A. Tundra
B. Coniferous forest
C. Tropical forest
D. Desert
D. Desert
An ecologist recorded 12 unicorns per square mile in one fantasy woodland and 20 per square mile in another fantasy woodland. What was the ecologist comparing?
A. Density
B. Dispersion
C. Carrying capacity
D. Range
A. Density
What causes a sigmoidal growth curve (S-shaped curve) to level off?
A. The population has stopped reproduction.
B. Mortality has decreased in the population.
C. The population shifts from a clumped to a uniformly spaced dispersion.D. The population reached carrying capacity.
E. Sigmoid growth curves never should level off.
D. The population reaches carrying capacity
Human activities such as agriculture add more nitrogen into ecosystems. Which of the following statements best describes this?
A. This is pollution that has harmful effects on ecosystems.
B. This is not pollution because nitrogen is a naturally occurring element in ecosystems.
C. This is not pollution because organisms in these ecosystems need nitrogen for survival.
D. This is pollution because nitrogen is not needed for the survival of organisms in these ecosystems.
A. This is pollution that has harmful effects on ecosystems.
Which of the following is true about secondary consumers in an ecosystem?
A. They are eaten by primary consumers.
B. They are fewer in number than primary consumers.
C. They contain the greatest total biomass in the system.
D. They are smaller and weaker than the primary consumers.
B. They are fewer in number than primary consumers.
The benthic zone of a lake is:
A. The region that receives a lot of sunlight.
B. The region where phytoplankton is found.
C. Substrate at the bottom of the lakeD. Region along the edge of lake, near land.
C. Substrate at the bottom of the lake
Uniform spacing patterns found in plants such as the creosote bush are most often associated with what?
A. Chance
B. Patterns of low humidity
C. The random distribution of seeds
D. Competitive interactions among individuals in the population.
D. Competitive interactions among individuals in the population.
In the logistic equation dN/dt=rN, r is a measure of the population’s intrinsic rate of increase. This is determined by:
A. Death and birth rate
B. Density and dispersion
C. Life history, death rate and birth rate.
D. Carrying capacity and dispersion rate
A. Death and birth rate
In the nitrogen cycle, the transformation of gaseous nitrogen into nitrogen-containing compounds is preformed primarily by:
A. Fungi
B. Prokaryotes
C. Herbivores
D. Carnivores
E. Weirdos
B. Prokaryotes
Due to biological amplification, also called biological magnification, where would you expect toxins to be most concentrated?
A. In the tissues of producers
B. In the tissues of carnivores that eat herbivores
C. In the tissues of carnivores that eat carnivores
D. Toxins would be equally concentrate in all groups.
C. In the tissues of carnivores that eat carnivores
What is the fundamental difference between matter and energy in an ecosystem?
A. Matter is recycled; energy is not.
B. Energy is recycled; matter is not.
C. Matter is used; energy is not.
D. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed; energy can.
A. Matter is recycled; energy is not.
In ecological terms, a disturbance is an event such as a storm, fire, or human activity that changes a community, removing organisms and altering resource availability. Which of the following statements about the effects of disturbance is correct?
A. Disturbances can create patches of different habitats in a community.
B. A healthy community is in an equilibrium state of balance, with few disturbances.
C. The effects of disturbance on a community are always negative.
D. A disturbance shouldn’t affect a community unless that community is especially weak or low populated.
A. Disturbances can create patches of different habitats in a community.
During the year 2000, there were 80 unicorns were born in a population of 500 unicorns. What is the annual per capita birth rate of this unicorn population in the year 2000?
A. 80
B. 6.25
C. 0.16
D. 40,000
E. The annual per capita birth rate cannot be determined from the information given
C. 0.16
80 divided by 500 =. 0.16
What is the major concern with CFCs in the atmosphere?
A. CFCs breakdown O2 molecules.
B. CFCs are toxic, even in very low concentrations.
C. CFCs produce excess O2 molecules, which can become dangerous.
D. CFCs break down O3 molecules present in our atmosphere
D. CFCs break down O3 molecules present in our atmosphere
Plants cannot incorporate nitrogen into organic compounds and therefore must rely on:
A. Animals
B. Bacteria
C. Protists
D. FungiE. Viruses
B. Bacteria
Where would you expect to find the littoral zone of a lake?
A. The shallow water region along the shore.
B. The substrate at the bottom.
C. Near the thermocline, at the bottom, where organisms tend to attach themselves.
D. Where phytoplankton are.
A. The shallow water region along the shore.
Which country has the greatest ecological footprint (measured in hectares per person?)
A. Sweden
B. India
C. China
D. Canada
E. USA
E. USA
R strategists tend to have:
A. Little offspring
B. Little parental care
C. A sigmoidal growth curve
D. No growth curve
B. Little parental care
What is the key process or processes driving the phosphorus cycle?
A. Evaporation
B. Photosynthesis and respiration
C. The weathering of rocks
D. Fixation by prokaryotes
C. The weathering of rocks
How do pyramids of net production and pyramids of biomass differ?
A. Unlike pyramids of biomass, pyramids of net production are based on measurements per unit time.
B. Unlike pyramids of biomass, pyramids of net production include fewer trophic levels.
C. Pyramids of biomass are not actually pyramid shaped.
D. Unlike pyramids of net production, the shape of a pyramid of biomass varies with the sizes of the organisms in it.
A. Unlike pyramids of biomass, pyramids of net production are based on measurements per unit time.
Who has the highest production efficiency?
A. Birds
B. Mammals
C. Birds and mammalsD. Insects
E. Fish
D. Insects