Tree-mendous Growth and Shrub-jects (Population Ecology)
It’s Giving Symbiosis Vibes (Community & Ecosystem Interactions)
Succession: I Came, I Saw, I Conifered (Ecological Succession & Tolerance)
Humans are the Bad Guys-- Suprise! (Human Impact & Conservation Biology)
It's Getting Hot In Here (Climate, Ozone, & Global Issues)
100

Brianna is mapping trees in a section of land. She observes some are clumped, some uniformly separated, and some spaced randomly. What is she describing?

population distribution

100

Termites digest wood thanks to tiny organisms in their gut. What type of symbiosis is this?

Mutualism-- benefits for both termites and the tiny organisms!

100

Carla claims some rose bushes can survive from 5°C to 32°C. What is this statement referring to? (Vocab word!)

Zone of Tolerance

100

Shari and her family change transportation habits to minimize driving. How does this affect their ecological footprint?

It lowers or decreases!

100

Johan says the ozone layer is a harmful part of smog and CFCs should be used to break it up. Is Johan's claim accurate? What parts are correct or incorrect?

NO! The ozone is not a harmful part of the smog and is an important atmospheric layer. 

However, CFC's do break up the ozone layer.

200

Which country, if any, is experiencing negative growth (population is decreasing)?

3!

200

If a new predator is introduced to a community and both old and new predators hunt the same prey, what will happen according to the competitive exclusion principle?

The population of one predator species will die off. Two populations can not share the same niche!

200

Why are the changes shown classified as primary succession, not secondary succession?

Starting with a pioneer species growing on bare rock

200

What is a human-altered biome?

Anthrome

200

The graph shows the changing levels of halogens, such as CFCs, that harm the ozone layer.  The ozone protects Earth's surface from harmful solar radiation.

Which is the most likely explanation of the trend shown in the data?

A worldwide ban of CFCs and a slow rebuilding of the ozone layer.

300

A rabbit population is affected by a density-dependent disease. What is the effect on the rabbits? (essentially--if the population is more dense, is the death rate effected?)

The larger or more dense of a population, the higher the death rate, or a larger percentage of rabbits are killed

300

A hurricane blows across a Caribbean island. How is this storm classified as a limiting factor?

Is it dependent or independent and why?

It is a density-independent limiting factor because the size and density of the population do not alter the course of the storm in any way.

300

Thomas is describing an example of secondary succession. Which event should he include?

A. Lichens begin growing on rocks that formed from a volcanic eruption.

B. Many fishes die in a pond when oxygen levels decrease.

C. The populations of wolves and rabbits change in a cyclical pattern.

D. Small plants and animals return to the land after a forest fire.


D! Remember that secondary succession has an important jumping off point-- soil in this case!

300

Many rainforests are being chopped down for human activities; why may it be beneficial to preserve rainforests?

1. Use CO2 to produce oxygen

2. Biodiversity, help prevent extinction

3. Help prevent climate change

4. Possible medicinal remedies 

300


Carbon dioxide is a significant greenhouse gas in Earth's atmosphere. The graph shows the estimated anthropogenic (human-caused) carbon dioxide emissions in gigatons (Gt) per year, from 1850 to the present. See the question below the graph. 

Based on the graph, which strategy would be MOST effective to include in a solution to global climate change?

A. a moderate reduction in non-human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide
B. a more efficient method for gaining energy from fossil fuels
C. a drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels, cement, and flaring

D. a moderate reduction in forestry and other land use

C! Look at the graph--The CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, cement, and flaring are almost 8x greater than that of forestry

400

A population of mice is growing according to logistic growth. Which event happens when the population reaches carrying capacity?

It fluctuates around the carrying capacity line. Where birth and death rates are nearly equal!

400

Nutria, native to South America and invasive in the southeastern US, eat a lot in wetlands. Which info would NOT be useful to an ecologist assessing nutria populations?

A. The average weight of a nutria

B. The population density

C. The birth and death rates

D. the emigration and immigration rates

A! The average weight does not tell us about the population

400

Barbara is studying the process of ecological succession in a temperate forest ecosystem. Which of these should she observe if she was looking for the climax community?

A. a healthy, never before disturbed boreal forest ecosystem
B. a healthy temperate forest ecosystem a few years after a wildfire
C. a farmer’s field that had been cleared from a temperate forest
D. a temperate forest that is dying due to invasive vines

B! A climax community occurs after the events of succession. 

A never disturbed forest does not go through succession!

400

A population of timberwolves lives in a large tract of forest. A developer proposes building a six-lane highway across the middle of the forest. What would this do to their habitat? (Vocab word!)

Habitat fragmentation! Wolves hunt over a large range and this would cut that space in half.

400

What is the mechanism that affects Earth's temperature and is now causing global temperatures to increase? (Vocab word)

Greenhouse effect

Greenhouse gases build up in the atmosphere and trap heat on Earth!

500

A scientist notes a buffalo population growth rate of zero, meaning birth and death rates are equal. What can be concluded about immigration and emigration?

1. Immigration = emigration

2. Immigration = death and emigration = birth


500

Describe the growth pattern of rainbow trout and explain why it follows that pattern.

1. Logistical Growth

2. As the population increases, so does the effect of density dependent limiting factors


500

Why do stages of ecological succession occur in the predicted order in models (and not another order)?

Succession almost always occurs in the same order.

500

Many lands are now fields of only one crop. What is this an example of? What does this do to the soil?

monoculture

harms, reduces the nutrients, depletes the quality of 

500

Scientists cite evidence that human-caused carbon dioxide emissions are raising Earth’s temperatures. What results directly or indirectly from these emissions? (List as many as you can)

1. Ocean acidification

2. Increasing sea levels

3. Decreased polar ice cap coverage

4. Increased occurrences of extreme weather