Deck 4: Community Ecology, Population Ecology, and the Human Population

Question 1

A species' ecological niche is its

A) habitat.
B) food supply.
C) role in the ecosystem.
D) length of survival.
E) need for specialized food sources.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Predator-prey relationships are beneficial at the ____ level,but harmful at the ____ level.

A) individual; population
B) population; individual
C) individual; species
D) individual; landscape
E) landscape; species

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Resource partitioning can help a species achieve

A) mutualism.
B) its predator-prey relationship.
C) its realized niche.
D) commensalism.
E) parasitism.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Species that normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem are known as

A) nonnative species.
B) native species.
C) keystone species.
D) specialist species.
E) indicator species.

Question 5

Approximately one-third of global amphibian species are threatened with extinction due to all but which factor?

A) pollution
B) overhunting
C) habitat loss
D) disease
E) human collections for study

Question 6

The relationship between honeybees and flowers is

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

Question 7

Silverfish insects travel with army ants to share the food the ants leave behind after eating.This is an example of ____.

A) mutualism
B) commensalism
C) succession
D) parasitism
E) speciesm

Question 8

Ticks feeding on the blood of a field mouse exemplify

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

Question 9

Species that serve as early warnings of environmental change are called

A) indicator species.
B) native species.
C) keystone species.
D) specialist species.
E) nonnative species.

Question 10

The relationship between clownfish and anemones is

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

Question 11

Which term means the opposite of the others?

A) exotic species
B) native species
C) alien species
D) nonnative species
E) introduced species

Question 12

Forms of nondestructive behavior between organisms include all of the following except

A) resource partitioning.
B) sharing resources by looking for food in different places.
C) parasitism.
D) mutualism.
E) commensalism.

Question 13

An environmentally relevant benefit to protecting the world's disappearing sharks is to

A) support shark hunting.
B) provide pet food ingredients.
C) protect ocean biodiversity.
D) support movies that need sharks for props.
E) supply Asian countries with vital food resources.

Question 14

Species that migrate or are accidentally introduced into an ecosystem are called

A) nonnative species.
B) native species.
C) keystone species.
D) specialist species.
E) indicator species.

Question 15

Amphibians may be adversely affected by all of the following except

A) habitat fragmentation.
B) prolonged drought.
C) native vegetation.
D) predation.
E) increases in ultraviolet radiation.

Question 16

Which of the following is a specialist species?

A) flies
B) cockroach
C) raccoons
D) rats
E) pandas

Question 17

Which of the following is a keystone species?

A) honeybee
B) robin
C) daisy
D) opossum
E) trout

Question 18

Which of the following statements is false?

A) When environmental conditions are changing rapidly, a generalist is usually better off than a specialist.
B) The fundamental niche of a species is the full range of physical, chemical, and biological factors it could use if there were no competition.
C) The competitive exclusion principle states that no two species with the same fundamental niche can indefinitely occupy the same habitat.
D) Interspecific competition is competition between two members of the same species.
E) A species' habitat is akin to its residence and niche is its role in the ecosystem.

Question 19

Species whose roles in an ecosystem are vital to the ecosystem's biodiversity are called

A) indicator species.
B) native species.
C) keystone species.
D) specialist species.
E) nonnative species.

Question 20

Which of the following predators avoid competition by being active at different times?

A) lions and tigers
B) hummingbirds and bees
C) hawks and owls
D) zebras and antelopes
E) lions and cheetahs

Question 21

The human population of Ireland experienced a major crash as a result of

A) the plague.
B) the potato fungus.
C) an influenza epidemic.
D) a prolonged drought.
E) HIV/AIDS.

Question 22

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 23

Humans have extended Earth's carrying capacity for the human species by

A) controlling many diseases.
B) using energy resources at a rapid rate.
C) increasing food production.
D) increasing life span.
E) all of these answers

Question 24

Population change =

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

Question 25

All of the following about logistic growth is true except

A) Population plotted against time involves a period of rapid exponential growth followed by a period of fluctuation around the carrying capacity.
B) Population plotted against time produces a sigmoidal shaped logistic growth curve.
C) A population can overshoot its carrying capacity and decline more than one time.
D) A population may overshoot its carrying capacity because of a reproductive time lag.
E) Human populations are exempt from logistic growth because we can expand the earth's carrying capacity for the human species.

Question 26

Population size is governed by all of the following except

A) births.
B) deaths.
C) immigration.
D) colonization.
E) emigration.

Question 27

Biotic potential is determined by all of the following except

A) reproductive age span.
B) litter size.
C) how many offspring survive to reproductive age.
D) average female body size.
E) available resources.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about ecological succession should be considered false?

A) It is initiated by pioneer species.
B) It often involves organisms changing the environment so that they can no longer thrive and must be replaced by others.
C) It generally results in more complex, more self-sustaining stages than the preceding ones.
D) It is an orderly progression from pioneer species to climax species indicative of the region being studied.
E) Rock exposed by a retreating glacier would exhibit primary succession.

Question 29

A population will increase if

A) natality decreases.
B) mortality increases.
C) the biotic potential increases.
D) the environmental resistance increases.
E) all of these answers

Question 30

Which of the following would undergo secondary succession?

A) cooled volcanic lava
B) a new sandbar exposed by the ocean
C) a heavily polluted stream that has been cleaned up
D) a bare rock outcrop
E) a newly formed, shallow freshwater pond

Question 31

Which of the following exemplifies a high intrinsic rate of increase strategy?

A) human
B) housefly
C) rhinoceros
D) saguaro cactus
E) cow

Question 32

An organism with a "few young" strategy generally

A) has a high genetic diversity.
B) is more responsive to environmental changes than other species.
C) exhibits a fast rate of evolution.
D) is less adaptable to change than other species.
E) is small and long lived.

Question 33

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 overshoots the carrying capacity and environmental pressures and shortfalls begin to exert their effects.
E) the population growth rate slows.

Question 34

Carrying capacity is determined by

A) ecological succession.
B) biotic potential and environmental resistance.
C) unlimited resources.
D) the ratio of male to female offspring.
E) growth curves.

Question 35

A population will experience a die-back,or crash,when going from exponential to logistic growth due to

A) a reproductive time lag.
B) technology.
C) available food supplies.
D) disease.
E) environmental resistance.

Question 36

Which of the following would exhibit primary succession?

A) rock exposed by a retreating glacier
B) an abandoned farm
C) a forest that had been clear-cut
D) a newly created lake
E) forest that has been burned

Question 37

The biotic potential of a population

A) is the maximum reproductive rate of a population.
B) is the current rate of growth of a population.
C) is an expression of how many offspring survive to reproduce.
D) can be determined only by studying an age structure diagram.
E) is the future rate of growth of a population.

Question 38

All of the following statements about parasitism are true except

A) Parasitism adds to biodiversity.
B) Parasitism may be considered a form of predation.
C) The host is not necessarily killed.
D) Parasitism is beneficial at the population level.
E) Parasitism is beneficial at the individual level.

Question 39

Limiting factors to the biotic potential of species include all but which one?

A) light
B) water
C) available space
D) nutrients
E) lifespan

Question 40

An organism with a "many young" strategy generally

A) has a low biotic potential.
B) is small and short lived.
C) gives much parental care to its offspring.
D) is not very adaptable to change.
E) is large and long lived.

Question 41

Mutualistic associations exchange benefits and fortified weaknesses of species' adaptive strategies.

Question 42

Family planning services provide all of the following except which one?

A) illegal abortions
B) birth control information
C) prenatal and infant health care services
D) contraceptives
E) education on birth spacing

Question 43

The country with the second largest number of people is

A) USA
B) China
C) India
D) Russia
E) Indonesia

Question 44

Resource partitioning is one solution to the problems associated with ecological succession.

Question 45

The facilitator of succession is the impact established species have upon their own environments.

Question 46

The country with the largest number of people is

A) USA
B) China
C) India
D) Russia
E) Indonesia

Question 47

Keystone species are particularly more susceptible to extinction than other species because they are small organisms.

Question 48

In a rapidly changing environment where conditions are unpredictable,the generalist species is better able to survive than the specialist species.

Question 49

Population change is measured by all but which factor?

A) birth
B) death
C) immigration
D) emigration
E) illegal immigrants

Question 50

All of the following statements about human population growth are true except

A) When births plus immigration rates exceed death and emigration rates, the population increases.
B) The fertility rate in the US has declined since the early 1970's.
C) If every couple would bear children at the replacement-fertility rate, population growth would immediately halt.
D) India is projected to have the world's largest population within the next 40 years.
E) A country with a large proportion of its population under 15 years old, will experience large population growth unless death rates increase dramatically.

Question 51

Non-native or invasive species are threatening and should be eradicated.

Question 52

The current world population is approximately

A) 1.5 billion
B) 4.2 billion
C) 6.9 billion
D) 10.1 billion
E) 15.8 billion

Question 53

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

Question 54

The role that a species plays within its ecosystem can be described as native,non-native,indicator,keystone or foundation species.

Question 55

The three main factors that led to rapid human population increases are

A) available habitat, agriculture, and pesticides.
B) agriculture, medicine, and media alerts.
C) medicine, available habitat, and migration.
D) available habitat, agriculture, and medicine.
E) agriculture, medicine, and pesticides

Question 56

The United Nations plans to reduce population growth include all but which one of the following means?

A) provide universal access to family planning
B) improve healthcare for women and children
C) improve the status of women
D) increase legal abortions
E) reduce poverty and wasteful consumption practices

Question 57

Factors affecting death rates include all but which one?

A) longevity
B) healthcare
C) nutrition
D) emigration
E) sanitation

Question 58

Factors affecting birth rates include all but which one?

A) immigration
B) family planning services
C) education of women
D) children in the labor force
E) average age at marriage

Question 59

Different types of species in a community,whether native or nonnative,play similar roles in the community's ecology.

Question 60

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

Question 61

The effect of population increase or environmental resistance is not felt instantly in most cases.

Question 62

The human population can continue following a J-shaped growth curve because of technology.

Question 63

When a population overshoots the environment's carrying capacity,species diversity becomes constant.

Question 64

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

Question 65

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

Question 66

Most organisms have reproductive patterns between the opportunist and competitor extremes.

Question 67

Highly developed countries have high population growth rates because birth rates are high.

Question 68

____________________ are plants and animals that aggressively expand into natural communities where their abundance disturbs the natural balance of ecosystem structure and function.

Question 69

Two important roles of keystone species are pollination and predation.

Question 70

Although total fertility rates have decreased,the world's population has still not stabilized.

Question 71

The pioneer community of ecological succession is usually composed of only alien species.

Question 72

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

Question 73

Due to various factors,the population of the United States is still growing rapidly.

Question 74

When a population reaches carrying capacity,the population's biotic potential gradually declines to a consistent value slightly greater than the original.

Question 75

The relationship between a lion and a zebra is of a(n)____________________.

Question 76

The polar bear are ____________________ species to cold regions.

Question 77

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

Question 78

Ecological succession proceeds in an orderly fashion from pioneer species to a climax community.

Question 79

A(n)____________________ is a species whose existence contributes dramatically to a diversity of life in a community.

Question 80

As economic development increases,birth and death rates decrease.