Deck 38: Communities and Ecosystems

Question 1

The physical place where members of a population typically live is termed a

A) symbiont.
B) competitive zone.
C) habitat.
D) niche.
E) community.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In _____,multiple species use the same resource in a slightly different way or at a different time.

A) resource partitioning
B) intraspecific competition
C) mutualism
D) symbiotic inclusion
E) None of the answer choices are correct.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

You are shown an example of two organisms in a relationship,in which one lives on the other.The one organism living on the other benefits from nutritional resources,while the organism being lived upon is harmed.This is an example of

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

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The decline of the sea otter population in the Pacific Northwest has been attributed to

A) pollution from an oil spill.
B) a genetic mutation causing a decrease of fertility in male otters.
C) predation by killer whales.
D) an increase in the water temperature.
E) predation by Steller sea lions.

Question 5

A genetic change in one species that selects for a subsequent change in a different species is termed

A) evolutionary dynamics.
B) competitive exclusion.
C) coevolution.
D) genetic dispersion.
E) gene dynamics.

Question 6

A type of symbiosis in which one member of the relationship benefits with no effect on the other is

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

Question 7

A type of symbiosis in which both species benefit is

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

Question 8

Natural selection requires that a trait in a species is genetic,which is heritable within the population,and has variable forms of the trait that increase survival or confer reproductive advantages.Consider that there is variation in beak lengths of a bird that eats nectar from flowers,and the heritable longer beak length allows feeding from larger flowers of a plant species with more tubular petal arrangements.The birds having longer beaks are more prevalent,and their longer beaks make successful reproduction more common for the plants with larger,tubular flowers,because of increased pollination success.What ecological process has happened between these two species?

A) The bird beak length selection has led to the large, tubular flower selection through coevolution.
B) All of the answer choices are correct.
C) The birds with longer beaks and the flowers with tubular petals are selected for a commensalism relationship.
D) The niches of the bird species and the plant species have both dramatically changed.
E) The simultaneous selection of bird beak length and large, tubular flower shape has demonstrated competitive exclusion.

Question 9

The type of succession that occurs in an area where no community previously existed is _____ succession.

A) keystone
B) tertiary
C) secondary
D) primary
E) climax

Question 10

A relationship between different species in which one species lives in or on another is

A) symbiosis.
B) predation.
C) coevolution.
D) niche sharing.
E) resource partitioning.

Question 11

A state or national park in your area conserves natural wildlife and plant florae in a community that remains fairly constant over time.This is an example of _____.

A) species evenness
B) competitive exclusion
C) commensalism
D) an apparent climax community
E) succession

Question 12

A species that is so important to its community (such as the sea otter)that their removal can dismantle a food web is termed a _____ species.

A) capstone
B) cornerstone
C) cobblestone
D) flagstone
E) keystone

Question 13

Your biology class takes a field trip near the campus,and you walk along a trail,starting on bare rock and gravel.You learn that the entire area was stripped clear of any life by quarrying that removed meters of soil and rock nearly a century ago.At first,where you are told the most recent quarrying took place,you can see lichens and mosses growing on larger rocks.Further on,you can see grasses and weeds.Further still,where the first quarrying activities ended decades earlier,you see shrubs and trees.After all the area had been cleared,and this gradient of biota have developed,this is an example of which ecological process?

A) magnification
B) completion
C) climax
D) conversion
E) succession

Question 14

The total of all the resources,both biotic and abiotic,a species exploits for its survival,growth,and reproduction is its

A) competitive zone.
B) habitat.
C) biosphere.
D) food web.
E) niche.

Question 15

When two or more species vie for the same limited resource,_____ occurs.

A) competition
B) succession
C) stotting
D) symbiosis
E) coevolution

Question 16

The sea otter is an omnivore that makes up a small portion of the community by weight,yet strongly influences the health,dynamics,and diversity of the entire community of other oceanic species around it.This is an example of a _____ species.

A) None of the answer choices are correct.
B) keystone
C) flagstone
D) capstone
E) cornerstone

Question 17

Abiotic components of an ecosystem include

A) both living and nonliving components.
B) all components except animal life.
C) only animal life.
D) nonliving components only.
E) living components only.

Question 18

_____ states that two species cannot coexist indefinitely in the same niche.

A) Endosymbiotic theory
B) Co-inclusion principle
C) Competitive exclusion principle
D) Zonal exclusion theory
E) Second law of thermodynamics

Question 19

Which of the following is not a type of symbiosis?

A) predation
B) mutualism
C) None of the answer choices are correct.
D) commensalism
E) parasitism

Question 20

An ecosystem is defined as

A) all of the individuals of the same species living in an area.
B) all of the members of all of the species living in an area.
C) the physical place and environmental surroundings in which individual organisms live.
D) the set of environmental resources that each organism requires for survival, growth, reproduction, etc.
E) the sum of living organisms and nonliving environmental components in an area.

Question 21

In _____,bacteria return nitrogen to the atmosphere by converting nitrates to N₂.

A) nitrogen fixing
B) nitrification
C) denitrification
D) respiration
E) transpiration

Question 22

Decomposers

A) include fungi.
B) All of the answer choices are correct.
C) obtain nutrients from detritus.
D) return organic molecules to an inorganic form.
E) include bacteria.

Question 23

The ecosystem that would most likely have a very high net primary productivity is a

A) boreal forest.
B) desert.
C) temperate forest.
D) tundra.
E) tropical rain forest.

Question 24

An organism's _____ is its position in the food chain,relative to the ecosystem's energy source.

A) trophic level
B) habitat
C) keystone level
D) niche
E) climax level

Question 25

The energy-requiring process by which liquid water becomes water vapor (a gas)is

A) convection.
B) evaporation.
C) sublimation.
D) condensation.
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 26

Species that are the first to colonize an area are termed _____ species.

A) tertiary
B) primary
C) secondary
D) pioneer
E) keystone

Question 27

An organism that can use energy and inorganic substances to produce all the organic material it requires is a(n)

A) producer.
B) heterotroph.
C) heterotroph and producer.
D) autotroph.
E) autotroph and producer.

Question 28

Organisms that obtain their energy from producers or other consumers are

A) heterotrophs.
B) producers.
C) autotrophs.
D) autotrophs and producers.
E) heterotrophs and producers.

Question 29

The total amount of energy trapped by the autotrophs of an ecosystem is called

A) gross primary consumption.
B) net primary productivity.
C) net energy fixation.
D) gross primary productivity.
E) net primary consumption.

Question 30

Which of the following is not an important biogeochemical cycle on Earth?

A) carbon cycle
B) phosphorus cycle
C) water cycle
D) nitrogen cycle
E) ATP cycle

Question 31

The net primary productivity is the amount of energy

A) given off as heat by producers.
B) Both given off as heat by producers and trapped by the autotrophs of an ecosystem are correct.
C) available for consumers.
D) trapped by the autotrophs of an ecosystem.
E) used in metabolism by producers.

Question 32

In the water cycle,animals return water to the environment by

A) evaporation.
B) excretion.
C) transpiration.
D) transpiration and excretion.
E) evaporation and excretion.

Question 33

Secondary consumers are

A) herbivores.
B) bacteria.
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) fungi.
E) carnivores.

Question 34

The _____ cycle begins with the weathering of rock.

A) nitrogen
B) carbon
C) phosphorus
D) water
E) energy

Question 35

Walleye pike are which of the following?

A) decomposers
B) primary consumers
C) tertiary consumers
D) secondary consumers
E) producers

Question 36

As an overall average,about _____ of the energy at one trophic level is available to the next-highest rank in the food chain.

A) 7%
B) 10%
C) 4%
D) 20%
E) 2%

Question 37

A food chain is a series of organisms that

A) shares the same niche.
B) exhibits mutualism with each other.
C) shares the same energy source.
D) succeeds one another as a climax community develops.
E) successively eats one another.

Question 38

Carbon returns to the atmosphere

A) as carbon dioxide.
B) All of the answer choices are correct.
C) from respiration of plants.
D) from respiration of animals.
E) by the burning of fossil fuels.

Question 39

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric N₂ into

A) nitrates.
B) nitrites.
C) ammonium.
D) carbon dioxide.
E) methane.

Question 40

Biomagnification usually happens for chemicals that

A) are not readily degraded.
B) dissolve in water.
C) are not readily degraded and dissolve in water.
D) are not readily degraded and do dissolve in fat.
E) dissolve in fat.

Question 41

After developing a yeast infection in the urinary tract,and taking an antibiotic,the yeast infection declines in numbers of cells while the microbes that normally are present reestablish themselves.The reason for the decline of the yeast infection is explained by

A) the competitive exclusion principle.
B) predation.
C) the co-inclusion principle.
D) symbiosis.
E) endosymbiosis.

Question 42

Zooplankton are which of the following?

A) secondary consumers
B) tertiary consumers
C) producers
D) decomposers
E) primary consumers

Question 43

Prior to 1972,a pesticide called DDT was used widely in the United States,but was found to pose risks to human health and wildlife.The concentration of the nonpolar pesticide DDT would have been highest in which of the following,when still in use?

A) algae
B) a seagull
C) a minnow
D) plankton
E) a mosquito larva

Question 44

Why are top-level predators like lions and eagles so rare in a community?

A) Only a small amount of the energy is available to top trophic levels.
B) It is difficult for them to learn how to capture prey.
C) They do not breed as fast as other animals.
D) Their job is to keep the population size of other animals in check.
E) Because of predation by higher predators.

Question 45

The interaction between panic grass and its endophyte fungus that allow them to grow at 65°C together,but not independently is an example of

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

Question 46

The virus in this study

A) infected the plant.
B) did not infect either the fungus or the plant.
C) infected both the fungus and the plant.
D) infected the fungus.

Question 47

Mycorrhizal fungi obtain food from plants in exchange for water and nutrients.This is an example of

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

Question 48

Mercury released from coal burning power plants would be at the highest concentration in

A) the walleye.
B) the zooplankton.
C) the minnows.
D) the phytoplankton.
E) eagles that eat the walleye.

Question 49

If there are 10,000 calories of net primary productivity in a field,how much on average will be available to a secondary consumer?

A) 1 calorie
B) 10,000 calories
C) 100 calories
D) 10 calories
E) 1000 calories

Question 50

Some scientists predict that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase,the pH of the oceans will drop,threatening coral and organisms with shells.What is the best explanation for this hypothesis?

A) Carbon dioxide combines with water to form an acid.
B) As the pH of the ocean increases, more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
C) As the pH of the ocean decreases, more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
D) Carbon dioxide combines with water to form a base.
E) As the oceans warm, more water is evaporated, lowering the pH of the remaining water.

Question 51

An insect that resembles leaves is using _____ to avoid predation.

A) camouflage
B) mimicry
C) warning coloration
D) mutualism
E) chemical defense

Question 52

How was the virus detected?

A) by the presence of double-stranded RNA
B) by signs of infection
C) by the presence of antibodies to the virus
D) by the ability to grow at 65°C
E) by the presence of viral proteins

Question 53

Mistletoe is a plant that grows in the branches of trees.Its roots penetrate the bark of the tree,allowing it to obtain water and nutrients.The tree is harmed,and can even die as a result of this interaction.This is an example of

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

Question 54

Some scientists predict that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase,plant growth will also increase.What is the best explanation for this hypothesis?

A) Plants release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during respiration.
B) Plants consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during respiration.
C) Plants consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
D) Plants release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during photosynthesis.

Question 55

Walleye pike tend to live in deep waters and feed at night.Northern pike live in shallower waters and feed all day.Which of the following best explains these differences?

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

Question 56

An insect that resembles the face of a snake is using ___ to avoid predation.

A) chemical defense
B) camouflage
C) mutualism
D) warning coloration
E) mimicry

Question 57

Eutrophication can be caused by excess accumulation of which of the following in a body of water?

A) phosphorus
B) nitrogen
C) nitrogen or carbon
D) nitrogen or phosphorous
E) carbon

Question 58

Lichens live on the side of trees,getting better access to the sun,with no apparent harm to the tree.This is an example of

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

Question 59

If there are 10,000 calories of net primary productivity in a field,how much on average will be available to a primary consumer?

A) 100 calories
B) 1000 calories
C) 1 calorie
D) 10,000 calories
E) 10 calories

Question 60

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the roots of soybeans help provide a source of nitrogen to the plants and,in exchange obtain food from the plants.Which reaction can these bacteria catalyze?

A) nitrogen gas (N₂) to nitrate (NO₃)
B) nitrogen gas (N₂) to ammonium (NH₄)
C) nitrate (NO₃) to nitrogen gas (N₂)
D) nitrate (NO₃) to ammonium (NH₄)
E) ammonium (NH₄) to nitrate (NO₃)

Question 61

Energy is constantly being recycled within an ecosystem.

Question 62

Figuer:
What is the dependent variable in this figure?

A) number of plants that died at 65°C
B) number of plants that died at 37°C
C) number of plants that could grow at 37°C
D) number of plants that could grow at 65°C

Question 63

Lichens and mosses that can grow on and erode rock would be considered pioneer species.

Question 64

The species that appear in a climax community usually are short-lived,early-maturing,r-selected species that are strong competitors in a changing environment.

Question 65

Raw sewage within a water ecosystem can kill fish because respiration by the microbes in the sewage reduces the concentration of oxygen within the water.

Question 66

The cause of the sea otter population decline in the Pacific Northwest was primarily an oil spill.

Question 67

In a process called denitrification,bacteria convert NO₃^- to N₂.

Question 68

An example of a keystone species is a root-associated fungus that conifer trees need in order to survive and that supply food for rodents.

Question 69

The reliance of a plant on one type of insect for pollination and that insect having only the nectar of that plant as its food source is an example of coevolution.

Question 70

What was the purpose of repeatedly drying,freezing,and thawing some of the fungi?

A) to kill the fungi
B) to make the fungus more susceptible to the virus
C) to remove the virus
D) to prepare the fungi to infect the panic grass
E) to prepare the fungi for growth at 65°C

Question 71

The term abiotic means "nonliving."

Question 72

When Steller sea lions and harbor seals became less plentiful,orcas began using sea otters as a primary food source.

Question 73

Resource partitioning allows only a single species to use a resource.

Question 74

Figuer:
What did the scientists conclude from the data shown in the figure?

A) Plants survived the heat best with virus-infected fungi.
B) Plants survived the heat best without fungi.
C) Plants survived the heat best with virus-free fungi.
D) Plants survived the heat best when not infected by the virus.
E) Plants survived the heat best when infected by the virus.

Question 75

Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which neither member of the relationship benefits.