Deck 5: Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Control

Question 1

Prey are least likely to defend themselves against predators by

A)camouflage
B)acute senses of sight and smell
C)protective shells
D)warning coloration
E)pursuit and ambush

Answer 1

pursuit and ambush

Question 2

A relationship in which both species benefit is best labeled

A)competition
B)predation
C)mutualism
D)parasitism
E)commensalism

Answer 2

mutualism

Question 3

The key reason we should care about recovery of the southern sea otter population is

A)the fact that they are a keystone species
B)their charismatic personality, which makes them pleasant to observe
C)because they are a food source for humans
D)because they are a food source for tuna, which is a food source for humans
E)the fact that they are a keystone species and because they are a food source for tuna

Answer 3

the fact that they are a keystone species

Question 4

All of the following are external parasites except

A)fleas and ticks
B)mosquitoes
C)mistletoe
D)tapeworms
E)athlete's foot fungus

Question 5

A relationship in which a member of one species obtains its nourishment by living on, in, or near a member of another species over an extended time is best labeled

A)competition
B)predation
C)mutualism
D)parasitism
E)commensalism

Question 6

Sea otters play a role in maintaining the biodiversity of which ecosystem?

A)tidepools
B)coastal kelp forests
C)coastal sandy beaches
D)open ocean areas
E)estuaries

Question 7

Carrying capacity refers to

A)reproductive rate
B)interaction of natality and mortality
C)the maximum size of population the environment will support
D)the proportion of males to females
E)the intrinsic rate of increase

Question 8

Which of the following factors have contributed to the expansion of the earth's carrying capacity for humans?

A)increased food production
B)control of competing populations
C)expanding our population into formerly uninhabitable areas
D)all of these answers
E)increased food production and control of competing populations

Question 9

A logistic growth curve depicting a population that is limited by a definite carrying capacity is shaped like the letter ____.

A)J
B)L
C)M
D)S
E)U

Question 10

Which of the following are ways that humans benefit from kelp forests?

A)They reduce shore erosion.
B)They are a source of algin, a product used in cosmetics and ice cream.
C)They are one of the most diverse ecosystems in marine waters.
D)All of these answers.
E)They reduce shore erosion and they are a source of algin, a product used in cosmetics and ice cream.

Question 11

Which of the following best categorizes the most common form of interspecific species interactions?

A)competition
B)mutualism
C)parasitism
D)commensalism
E)predation

Question 12

The obvious relationship demonstrated by a food chain is

A)competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism

Question 13

You are an evolutionary entomologist. a.You have observed beetles that can raise their abdomens and give off a defensive chemical that generally repels predators.
You discover a new species of beetle that raises its abdomen in a threatening way similar to the first species, but no defensive chemical is given off.
You are most likely to characterize this defensive strategy as a form of

A)camouflage
B)chemical warfare
C)mimicry
D)flight mechanism
E)warning coloration

Question 14

A relationship in which one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed to any significant degree is best labeled

A)competition
B)predation
C)commensalism
D)parasitism
E)mutualism

Question 15

Insect-eating warblers reduce interspecific competition by which of the following?

A)They migrate into the forests at different times of the year, so that they are not present at the same time.
B)They build their nests in different portions of the same trees.
C)They do not utilize the same tree type or habitat type.
D)They spend a significant portion of their time foraging for insects in different parts of the same trees.
E)They hybridize and produce broods of mixed genetic ancestry.

Question 16

The southern sea otter population, although hunted to near extinction, recovered during the years

A)1850 to 1900
B)1900 to 1938
C)1938 to 2008
D)1938 to 1968
E)1948 to 1988

Question 17

Hawks typically forage for their rodent prey species during the daytime. a.While owls may eat similar prey species, and live in the same area, they forage during the night.
This is best described as an example of

A)interspecific competition
B)mutualism
C)parasitism
D)predation
E)resource partitioning

Question 18

The relationship between clownfish and sea anemones is

A)competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism

Question 19

All of the following illustrate the relationship of mutualism except

A)oxpeckers and black rhinoceros
B)epiphytes
C)clownfish and sea anemone
D)bacteria in the digestive system of animals
E)flowering plants and insects

Question 20

A mechanism that similar species are known to use in their interactions with each to reduce competition is called

A)predation
B)extinction
C)niche modification
D)resource partitioning
E)all of these answers

Question 21

A climax community is a(n)

A)community in primary succession
B)community in secondary succession
C)mature community
D)immature community
E)balanced community

Question 22

Which of the following would undergo secondary succession?

A)cooled volcanic lava
B)an abandoned parking lot
C)a heavily polluted stream that has been cleaned up
D)a bare rock outcrop
E)a newly created shallow pond

Question 23

Which of the following best describes the two important aspects needed to stabilize living systems?

A)resilience and flexibility
B)inertia and resilience
C)environmental resistance and persistence
D)persistence and inertia
E)persistence and flexibility

Question 24

Which of the following would exhibit primary succession?

A)rock exposed by a retreating glacier
B)an abandoned farm
C)a forest that has been clear-cut
D)newly flooded land to create a reservoir
E)a forest that has been burned

Question 25

Population change is equal to

A)(Births + Immigration) - (Deaths + Emigration)
B)(Births + Emigration) - (Deaths + Immigration)
C)(Deaths + Immigration) - (Births + Immigration)
D)(Births - Deaths) + (Immigration - Emigration)
E)(Births + Immigration ) + (Deaths - Emigration)

Question 26

Which of the following is accurate with regards to the balance of nature hypothesis?

A)It is currently viewed as the most accurate description of how ecological succession can arise at a climax community.
B)It is the historically held equilibrium model of succession in which, once achieved, a climax community will be dominated by a few long-lived plant species.
C)It suggests that there are always an appropriate number and diversity of producers to allow an ever-increasing number of primary consumers to inhabit a changing community.
D)It suggests that the pathway of ecological succession is not predictable.
E)None of these answers are accurate.

Question 27

Which of the following terms best describe the ability of a living system to repair damage after an external disturbance?

A)inertia
B)persistence
C)constancy
D)resilience
E)diversity

Question 28

Predation and parasitism are examples of ecological interactions in which one species takes advantage of another species.

Question 29

A population crash occurs when

A)A population approaches its carrying capacity.
B)Environmental resistance comes into play gradually.
C)Resources are essentially unlimited.
D)A population greatly overshoots carrying capacity, and resulting environmental pressures cause effects.
E)The population growth rate slows.

Question 30

An area in primary ecological succession would be a suitable habitat for a population of hardwoods because of the availability of resources.

Question 31

The southern sea otter is a keystone species because it is a top predator.

Question 32

An exponential growth curve depicting an ever-growing population is shaped like the letter ____.

A)J
B)L
C)M
D)S
E)U

Question 33

Which reproductive pattern is most common, if one considers patterns seen in all animals?

A)Producing large numbers of offspring at short intervals, and providing no parental care or protection.
B)Producing few offspring later in life, and providing extensive parental care and protection.
C)A reproductive pattern that is somewhere between these two extremes.
D)Most living organisms actually switch between the two patterns described in a and B.

Question 34

A large mountain just south of Reno, Nevada, is called Slide Mountain. a.This name refers to the fact that in the early 1980s, after weeks of heavy precipitation, a large section of this mountain became a destructive mudslide that slid down the east slopes and destroyed the vegetation and homes in its path.
In the decades since the mudslide, the vegetation has completely regrown, and the slide area is no longer visible.
This is an example of

A)Primary succession.
B)Secondary succession.
C)During the first 10 years following the mudslide it was primary succession, and after that it was secondary succession.
D)Tertiary succession.
E)This is not an example of any type of succession.

Question 35

The size of a species' population, be that animal or human, is influenced by births, deaths, immigration, and emigration.

Question 36

Factors that act to limit the growth of populations are collectively called

A)carrying capacity
B)death
C)emigration
D)environmental resistance
E)environmental capacity

Question 37

A population's growth rate will increase as the population reaches its carrying capacity.

Question 38

One of the reasons sharks are especially vulnerable to over fishing is because they grow slowly, mature late, and have only a few young each generation.

Question 39

Which of the following is characteristic of the reproductive pattern of most large mammals?

A)tend to produce high numbers of offspring
B)give very little parental care
C)low survival rate of offspring
D)long gestation periods
E)high offspring mortality

Question 40

Primary succession would most likely occur in which area?

A)on bare rock exposed by a retreating glacier
B)on an abandoned highway
C)in an area where a forest had been cut down
D)any place where there is no soil
E)more than one of these answers

Question 41

The process of secondary succession would typically follow a forest fire.

Question 42

The terms inertia and stability, with respect to ecosystems, are mutually exclusive.

Question 43

Cowbirds are so named because they followed the large herds of cows that were driven throughout the American west before large tracts of land were fenced.
a.Cowbirds consumed the insects that invariably followed the herds.
a.There was no obvious benefit or other effect on the herds.
a.This is an example of ____________________.

Question 44

Inertia is not a feature of grassland ecosystems, but resilience is.

Question 45

Carrying capacity is the population size (or density) at which the environment is saturated.

Question 46

There is a general tendency for succession to lead to more complex and stable ecosystems.

Question 47

Primary succession has to take place in an area where soil already exists.

Question 48

The ecological process that would result in a localized change in species composition following a severe volcanic eruption would best be described as ____________________.

Question 49

The interaction between a lion and a hyena fighting over a dead zebra on the African Savannah is best described as ____________________.

Question 50

It can be said that both primary and secondary succession are examples of natural ecological restoration.

Question 51

Secondary succession usually takes hundreds to thousands of years.

Question 52

A common tick is an example of a(n) ____________________.

Question 53

Permanent equilibrium is a condition that most ecologists now recognize as existing in mature, late-successional ecosystems.

Question 54

Specialized traits or behaviors that allow a reduction of interspecific competition through species specialization in resource use, allow for ____________________.

Question 55

The relationship between a lion and a zebra is said to be that of a(n) ____________________.

Question 56

Many large mammal species that have long generation times and low reproductive rates are prone to ____________________.

Question 57

Births and deaths are the only two factors that determine population sizes.

Question 58

The human population can maintain an exponential growth rate indefinitely because of technology.

Question 59

____________________ is the combination of all factors that act to limit the growth of a population.

Question 60

The cattle egret is a large North American bird that commonly sits on the backs of grazing cattle and eats insects that pester the cattle.
a.This is an example of ____________________.

Question 61

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice
Fleas live in and on household pets.

A)interspecific competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism
F)mimicry

Question 62

There are ____________________ limits to population growth in nature.

Question 63

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice
Clownfish live amongst the stinging tentacles of sea anemone.
a.They keep the sea anemone tentacles clean by eating the debris, and they gain protection from other animals by living in the tentacles.

A)interspecific competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism
F)mimicry

Question 64

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice
The Owl Butterfly is native to Costa Rica.
a.Its hindwings have patterns in the shape and size of the eyes of a large owl.

A)interspecific competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism
F)mimicry

Question 65

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice
Sea lampreys attach themselves to fish such as trout.

A)interspecific competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism
F)mimicry

Question 66

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the ecological succession figure, choose the letter that represents the stage in which the land can support trees, shrubs, weeds, and grasses.

Question 67

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice
A tiny fish called a wrasse lives in and around the mouth of sharks.
a.It cleans up the debris left after the shark eats flesh, and it gains protection by living in the shark's mouth.

A)interspecific competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism
F)mimicry

Question 68

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice
Your housecat kills the mice in your yard and around your house.

A)interspecific competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism
F)mimicry

Question 69

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice
Epiphytes are plants that live on the branches or trunks of trees in the tropics.
a.The epiphyte gains access to water and sunlight, but does not hurt or help the tree.

A)interspecific competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism
F)mimicry

Question 70

Mistletoe is an example of a(n) _____________________.

Question 71

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the ecological succession figure, choose the letter that represents the initiation of secondary ecological succession.

Question 72

The reindeer population on St.
a.Paul Island in the Bering Sea crashed because the birth rate decline did not occur fast enough after resources were depleted.
a.This is called a ____________________.

Question 73

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the ecological succession figure, choose the letter that represents the step in which perennial weeds and grasses are plentiful.

Question 74

When populations of two different species interact over time in a way that drives changes in their gene pools, it can be said that __________________ occurs.

Question 75

According to biologist Edward O.
a.Wilson, if an animal is strikingly beautiful and easy to catch, it is probably ________________ (to eat).

Question 76

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the ecological succession figure, choose the letter that represents the step in which shrubs grow.

Question 77

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice
A kestrel (small hawk) and red-tailed hawk hunt for rodents in the same grassy meadow.

A)interspecific competition
B)predation
C)parasitism
D)mutualism
E)commensalism
F)mimicry

Question 78

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the ecological succession figure, choose the letter that represents a mature forest of hardwoods.

Question 79

____________________ starts slowly but then accelerates as the population increases.

Question 80

African grazing animals located in the same grassland ecosystem are known to utilize different types of grasses, or eat the grasses in sequential stages.
a.This process can be called ____________________.